The Akatsuki
by Arch-Daishou
Summary: ADOPTED: originally from swagosaurus: The bridge battle in the Land of Waves goes horribly wrong; a teammate dead, a team shattered. Naruto, fallen genin of Team 7, is revived by a group of S-Classed missing-nin, and brought into the true world of shinobi. The Akatsuki, a group dedicated to peace by eradication of corruption. Can Naruto bring true peace to the world, Naru/Saku!
1. Chapter I: Beyond Death

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

Story originally done by swagosaurus. Adopted, shall we see what we can do with it?

**Chapter I: Beyond Death**

Naruto fell back with a grunt. His whole body felt like it was on fire; he had senbon stuck in every limb, embedded almost to the bone. He couldn't even find the strength to get up off his ass. He struggled to keep himself propped up on his elbows.

Sasuke wasn't faring any better, and saw Naruto fall, causing him to grimace. _Damn dobe...this is going to be so much harder, get up!_

The 'hunter-nin' flashed back to his mirrors, and watched the two boys curiously. They both were at their limits; not even Sasuke's Sharingan could match Haku's speed. But the Kiri-nin knew what he needed to do.

"If it means the success of Zabuza-Sama...I will destroy the kindness in my heart, and I will kill you both." Haku said simply, jumping from mirror to mirror, throwing the needle like weapons with every trip.

Sasuke easily dodged them, but Naruto was failing at that. He was trying to roll away from them, but to no avail. They kept piercing into his legs and arms, causing the blonde to grunt in pain. Haku then released a particularly large amount of senbon towards the blonde, intending to kill him. They were heading towards his vital spots.

Sasuke saw the weapons flying towards his teammate, and by reflex jumped in front of him to take the hits. Naruto's eyes widened at his rival's actions. _What's that bastard doing? No way in hell is he saving me!_

Naruto then reacted instinctively, doing a few hand seals before he performed the **Kawarmi**. Sasuke gasped when he was suddenly switched with the blonde Jinchurriki in an poof of smoke.

Haku's jaw dropped from behind his mask when the senbon hit a newly **Kawarmi**'d Naruto. Most of them hit him in non-vital areas, but a few got him in the neck, chest and the face, puncturing a few of his organs. He grunted as they caused even more pain to his already broken body.

Naruto looked back to see Sasuke's shocked expression. He chuckled a bit, though the pain was intense in this throat. "Y...you should see the look on your face." He said, before falling to his knees. _Fuck...the bastard punctured my lung...and I think he severed a main artery..._

Naruto was about to fall onto the needles, but Sasuke hopped up and gripped the back of his jacket, and laid him down. Naruto's eyes were glazed over as he struggled to breathe.

For the first time since the massacre of the Uchiha clan at the hands of his brother, Sasuke Uchiha had tears in his eyes. He knelt down next to Naruto, a few tears cascading down his pale face. Naruto grinned a little.

"Hahaha...you're such a crybaby, Sasuke." Naruto said painfully. He felt as if his left lung was completely collapsed; it was also filling with blood gradually. He was in unbearable pain.

"Dobe...why...?"

"You...you're a comrade...Hokage's...are supposed to protect their...comrades with their lives...'sides, I wasn't...going to let you save me...again." Naruto choked out. _It's getting so cold...I'm dying, aren't I?_

"Teme...just wh-when we were becoming friends..." Naruto stated, wheezing a little.

Sasuke frowned, and glared up at the many forms of Haku adorning the mirrors. A tug on his shirt caused him to snap his head back down to his teammate.

Deep within the recesses of Naruto's mind, the Kyuubi watched the whole affair with sorrowful eyes. The damage done to his vessel was far too much for him to heal. Though he would never admit it, The Bijuu King was somewhat touched by Naruto's compassion, determination and what he just did for his teammate.

"I...I'm going...to die, Sasuke..." Naruto wheezed out. He was having extremely hard time breathing. Sasuke nodded solemnly, sniffling a bit.

"Tell...Sakura-chan...I r-really _did _want to kiss her forehead..." Naruto said, smiling a bit and chuckling. The laughing caused him to wince in pain. Sasuke cocked his head.

"She'll...understand...god, I was so cheesy..." The blonde whispered. The last Uchiha nodded with a sad smirk.

"Also…Tell...Kakashi...not to beat himself up over this...or his old teammates..." Sasuke was confused, but didn't dwell on it. These were Naruto's final words; his final wishes.

"It's time I get goin'...I wonder if there's ramen in heaven?" Naruto said jokingly. Blood leaked out of his mouth a little.

He made the mistake of swallowing; the constriction of his neck caused a senbon to go deeper, and puncture his esophagus. His eyes widened as he sputtered, desperately trying to take a breath.

Sasuke gasped when the senbon went deeper. "Dobe! Stay with me! Fuck! Naruto!" He yelled.

The blonde gripped Sasuke's shirt desperately, staring into the Uchiha's eyes. Soon after, Naruto's hands fell limp at his sides, and the light left his eyes. Sasuke frowned. _He's dead...he's dead...the only one I could ever even begin to call a friend is now dead..._

Haku grimaced as the guilt washed over him. _What have I done...? I made him suffer a painful death...and his comrade is breaking down...is this what Zabuza-Sama feels when he kills? Is this what he wanted me to do?_

Sasuke glared upwards, his Sharingan blazing. Haku shifted a little in his mirror uncomfortably as a wave of killer intent was directed at him. _Such KI...this boy..._

"Why...why did you have to kill him?!" The sharingan wielder screamed.

Haku frowned, the guilt completely consuming him. With this new distraction, he lost control of his jutsu. The mirrors melted, turning to water, and Haku fell to the ground, landing on his feet in front of Sasuke. With a burst of speed that Haku couldn't react to, Sasuke launched a punch at the ice user's face.

It made contact, completely shattering the mask. Haku grunted as pieces of the porcelain object cut into his face.

Haku sighed in exhaustion. _I deserve death...I killed an innocent boy for what reason? He was no threat to us._

"Kill me, Sasuke Uchiha. Kill me!" The ice user yelled, standing with arms wide, as Sasuke brandished a kunai and lunged at him. _I hope I was of use to you, Za-...wait...no! _Haku thought, when she saw Kakashi rush to a wounded, and pinned down Zabuza, his hand covered in lightning. He was planning on ending the Demon of the Hidden Mist's life.

"I am sorry; you won't be getting your revenge." Haku said sadly, before vanishing from the spot. Sasuke looked around madly, clenching his fists, and forced himself to breathe properly. _Damn it!_

Kakashi's hand plunged into what he thought was Zabuza's chest, but instead was the body of the hunter-nin. He had tears in his eyes as the life left him.

Zabuza took advantage of this, and swung his sword at the two. Kakashi quickly tore his hands from Haku's chest and jumped away with his body.

He rested the dead Kiri-nin down on the ground, and promptly shoved two kunai into each of the Demon of the Hidden Mist's arms, disabling them. Before either could react, a loud clapping was heard.

"Well done, Konoha-nin! I was planning on using my thugs here to kill those pesky shinobi, but you seem to have done it perfectly. Paying missing-nin gets very expensive. But, I still have a job to do. Give me Tazuna, or die." A short, grey haired man in a business suit sneered. He was backed by around 50 thugs. Zabuza glanced at Kakashi.

"Well, Kakashi, it seems we are no longer enemies." He stated simply. The copy-nin nodded.

"Indeed."

Gatou walked up and kicked Haku's body, causing Zabuza to tense. "This little bastard broke my hand. A little payback."

_Haku...why would you go so far for me? Is this what I've been missing my whole life?_

"Kakashi, want to spare me a kunai?" Zabuza said with a grin as he bit off his bandages. Kakashi smirked, and whipped out a kunai, tossing it to the missing-nin who caught it with his mouth.

A sick grin appeared on Zabuza's face. "Ish show shime!" He said through the weapon. Kakashi summoned 20 shadow clones to back him up.

Sasuke watched from afar as Zabuza charged through Gatou's mercenaries with Kakashi. The two cut down every thug that they came across, and it ended up with Zabuza completely decapitating Gatou. There were only a handful of thugs left; those who were still alive instantly dived off the bridge.

Zabuza had a few weapons sticking out of him, but was otherwise okay. Kakashi was a little drained of chakra, but also was in good condition. The two Jounin walked over to Sakura and Tazuna. Sasuke, too, stumbled over. Sakura looked at him with a spark in her eyes.

"Sasuke-kun, are you ok-...Sasuke-kun?" She asked warily when she saw the tears going down his face. Kakashi, too, was unnerved by his face. _Oh god...what happened?_

"Sasuke-kun...where's Naruto?" Sakura asked quietly. Sasuke wiped away his tears, and shook his head. Kakashi's eye widened, and he, with Sakura, Tazuna and Zabuza even, all rushed to the blonde.

"No...It can't be..." Kakashi said quietly.

Sakura's eyes widened when she saw the pale, still form of her annoying teammate. He has blood around his mouth, and had dried tears tracked down his face. She dropped to her knees, and shook him.

"Naruto...you idiot, wake up." She said. When she got no response, she glanced up to Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun, why isn't he waking up?" She asked.

Kakashi grimaced. _She's too young and innocent to experience death...god damn it. Sensei...I've failed you!_ He thought, palming his face in shame.

"The...the boy is dead..." Zabuza said quietly after checking his pulse.

He was floored. Not less than a week ago, the brat was taunting Zabuza, boasting about being a ninja, and becoming Hokage. _He was so full of energy and determination...and he truly died like a shinobi._ Zabuza thought, closing his eyes in respect. Though he was a murderous 'Demon', Haku's death had changed his views on relationships. Shinobi were, indeed, tools. But they still had emotions. Zabuza was learning that the hard way.

Sakura froze when she heard the mist-nin's words. _Dead...? No...Impossible! This is Naruto...he can't be dead! _Sakura thought, sadness over coming her. The true realization of the situation started to overwhelm her senses.

"He...he said a few things before he...he..." Sasuke choked out. He cleared his throat a couple of times, trying to calm himself down.

"Sakura..." The Uchiha started. Her head snapped up, her eyes filled with unshed tears. He grimaced at the sight.

"He… said that he really did want to kiss your forehead...I don't know what… what he meant, but he said that you would understand.." Sasuke said quietly.

Her eyes widened, and started to cry on her dead teammates chest, muttering things like 'come back Naruto' and 'you can't be dead, you big idiot'.

Kakashi frowned when Sasuke called him. He was overwhelmed with guilt and regret. _We should have never gone on this fucking mission. It was my decision. It's entirely my fault..._

"Sensei, Naruto said that he didn't...want you to beat yourself up over this or your dead teammates anymore." Sasuke choked out, the grief finally starting to overcome him.

He wouldn't admit it to himself, but he started to think of Naruto as a true rival, an equal, and possibly a brother. He'd always known that he and Naruto were the same; both were alone in the world. The difference was Naruto wanted to make bonds, while Sasuke made it his life mission to break the only one that mattered to him. Yet, despite their conflicting goals, he felt a connection to the blonde.

Sasuke's words, or rather, Naruto's words, affected Kakashi deeply. _He knew...somehow, he knew. Damn it! Why did this have to happen? Naruto...I will try to honor your final wish. But I will still grieve your death, along with Obito's and Rin's, my whole life. I wish it didn't take your death to see how being hung up on the past doesn't accomplish anything...I'm a failure._

Sakura emptied all of her tears on Naruto's bloody, tattered orange jacket. It seemed duller now that he was dead. Sakura didn't know why she cried so hard over Naruto. The revelation that it was actually the blonde who complimented her forehead so genuinely seemed unreal; but it all made sense. He truly understood her. She knew, though she would never admit it, that she would miss Naruto greatly. _No more date requests...no more extreme compliments...no more pranks...no more of his brash determination..._

Team 7 was now shattered.

Tazuna looked at the grieving shinobi and frowned. _To see death at such a young age..._

_/-/-/-/_

The bridge was completed not long after Naruto's demise. Team 7, or what remained of it, stood at the edge of it, frowns on their faces. Tazuna decided to name it the 'Great Naruto Bridge', in honor of the fallen Genin. Zabuza, too, stood by. Kakashi, not wanting to deal with any more fighting, chose to let him go. The masked Jounin held Naruto's limp body in his arms.

"Thanks for helping us." Tsunami said sadly. The boy, Inari, was shaken. He wasn't expecting one of the ninja to actually get killed, especially not Naruto, the one who showed him how to find strength.

Kakashi nodded. "I'm glad we could help..." He said quietly, before they bid their farewells, and Team 7 made their way back to Konoha.

A few hours later, they made it to the main gates, where the rest of the rookies were standing. They had previously arranged a visit the BBQ in celebration of the mission.

Ino squinted and gasped when she saw Sasuke's arm draped over Sakura's shoulders. She sprinted forward. "Sasuke-kuun! Why are you holding Forehead like that?" She said jealousy laced within her voice. Sakura sobbed a little, and Sasuke frowned at Ino.

"W-where's Naruto-kun?" Hinata spoke up. The two flinched at the name, and Kakashi came into view. The rookies gasped when they saw Naruto's lifeless body.

Chouji choked on his chips. "N-no way..." He muttered.

Shikamaru and Shino tensed. Kiba's jaw dropped. "Is that..." He said. Hinata then burst into tears, and hugged a startled Kiba tightly. Hinata's affections towards the blonde were no secret, except to Naruto himself, who was oblivious to everything.

Ino walked over and hugged a shaking Sakura, who returned it timidly. "Shhhh, Forehead..." Ino said quietly. Their rivalry could be put on hold; Sakura needed a friend dearly.

Kakashi had a few tears coming out of his eyes, and shunshined to the Hokage's office.

/-/-/-/

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, sat at his desk, reading the latest addition to the Icha Icha series. He was giggling like a school girl until Kakashi poofed into his office. The Hokage looked up with a smile until he saw Naruto's body. He dropped the book, stood up, and frowned.

"What happened?" The old man demanded, rushing over to Naruto. Kakashi grimaced.

"We...ran into a couple missing-Nin's. One of them specialized in ice jutsu and senbon. The weapons were going to hit Sasuke...but Naruto** Kawarm**i'd himself, and took them for him." Kakashi said.

Hiruzen had a few tears coming out of his eyes as he ran a hand through the blonde's messy hair. _An honorable death...you would have made a damn good Hokage, Naruto. You understood what it meant to be a shinobi._

"Very well...we will have the funeral immediately."

/-/-/-/

The funeral was a severely depressing affair. It started to rain, and all shinobi stood there in respect. The Hokage was going to allow the civilians to attend, but they were busy celebrating in the village. Kakashi frowned underneath his mask. _Those bastards are fucking partying. That's sickening._

"We've come here today to grieve the death of Naruto Uzumaki. He was like a grandson to me. He, although some shinobi might disagree, livened up the village with his happy attitude and pranks." The old man started. A few Chunin chuckled; chasing Naruto around the village, though annoying, was fun in a way.

"I suppose, given the circumstances, I explain something to all of you. 13 years ago, on October 10th, the Kyuubi attacked the village. It has been said that the Fourth sacrificed his life to kill it. But, despite what you have been taught by your parents and your instructors at the academy, this is not the truth. The Kyuubi was sealed within an infant child." The Hokage said. A few of the smarter ninja instantly understood what was implied.

"Naruto Uzumaki was the container, or Jinchurriki, of the Kyuubi. He was a sacrifice to keep the Kyuubi from destroying everything we hold dear. I ask you to remember this as you grieve Naruto's passing." Everyone who didn't know was stunned. They didn't realize that he had such a terrible burden to deal with.

Sakura cried a little, tears falling and mingling with the rain on the damp grass.

"Would anyone like to say some words?"

"I would." Sasuke said, shocking everyone once more. A few coos of 'Sasuke-kun' erupted from some of the more boisterous girls, but were quickly quieted by glares from Sasuke and Sakura.

Sasuke stood up, a few tears running down his face. He wiped them off, and stood in front of the crowd.

"Naruto Uzumaki...was my rival, my friend. Throughout the Academy, you all knew him as the 'dead-last'. He earned the title of shinobi through hard work, and determination. He knew exactly what it meant to be a ninja."

"During our mission, our enemy threw an abundance of senbon at him. My body reacted on its own...and I intended to take the hits for him." Sasuke started. The crowd's jaws dropped as he went on.

"But right before they hit, he Kawarmi'd me with himself, switching places. He took the senbon for me. I ask that we all remember Naruto for who he was; a great shinobi, and a better friend."

/-/-/-/

In the trees, close to the funeral, two figures sat on a branch, listening and watching the whole thing.

"'Ey, your little brother made quite the speech, eh?" One of them said, grinning jagged teeth. The other figure remained silent.

/-/-/-/

Naruto's final moments shocked, and inspired, his friends and colleagues. They all bowed their heads in respect, doing exactly what the Uchiha asked them to do. They no longer thought of him as an annoying, no talent prankster. He lived and died as a shinobi of the Leaf.

Sasuke stepped down, and a small group of musicians began playing melancholic music as Naruto's coffin was lowered into the earth. His friends, sensei, the old Hokage, and even some of the ANBU who watched him as a child, tossed white flowers into his grave in respect. A few moments later and the casket is completely covered in earth.

"You will be missed..." Hiruzen said sadly, before poofing away. The rest of the shinobi began their trek home, tears running down many of their faces. An hour later, and the grave yard was barren.

The two figures that were waiting quickly dashed out of the trees, and appeared in front of the fresh grave. They promptly dug into it, snapped the coffin open, and grabbed the body.

"Poor kid..." One of them said. The other nodded subtly, as they stared into the cold, dead face of Naruto Uzumaki.

After covering their tracks and re-burying the coffin, the two, or three now, vanished in a flash of leaves.

/-/-/-/

For the next couple of days, Sakura was a mess. Seeing Naruto dead had devastated her. She knew what being a ninja entailed, but death was a hard thing to cope with. Throughout the break Kakashi gave them, she did some intense, deep thinking. Was she meant to be a Kunoichi? Should she quit? What would Naruto have thought if she did?

It ended up with her completely steeling her resolve, and now she was going to train harder than ever. She adopted Naruto's way of thinking; never giving up, and trying your best. She _knew _she would be a great Kunoichi.

The team met up at their usual bridge spot for the first time since the Wave mission. Sasuke was there, rubbing his thumb along the metal plating of a forehead protector. Sakura noticed this as she walked up to him. _It's Naruto's..._

"It's going to take some time, isn't it?" Sakura said quietly as she walked up to the Uchiha. He looked up, and smiled a little, before giving her a hug.

The two had gotten close since that mission; closer than they would have ever guessed. Though Sasuke knew the rosette would love to have their relationship be romantic, the Uchiha only thought of her as perhaps a sister, and nothing more. Surprising even her, that didn't bother Sakura. In fact, she was almost glad that it was the case. For some reason, a part of her felt that a relationship with Sasuke would be betraying Naruto. The blonde's affections were always evident, especially knowing his final words. Sasuke had similar thoughts from time to time.

They broke out of their embrace, and the Uchiha sighed. "Yeah...I really am going to miss that dobe." He muttered. A tear came out of Sakura's eye, but she wiped it away. Kakashi then appeared in front of them, his arms crossed.

"Hey guys." He said, waving his hand. They nodded to him. He yawned, and then turned to his Genin. "As you know, the Chunin exams are coming up. But...I'm not recommending you for it." He stated.

They nodded again, which surprised Kakashi. He at least expected Sasuke to complain. He eye smiled. _It's a good thing you are maturing. Do you see us, Naruto? You have made us stronger._

"So, I'm going to be taking that time and I'm going to use it wisely. We're going to do training; _actual_ training." He said. The two perked up immediately.

"Sakura, your chakra control is near perfect. I'm going to be teaching you the limited medical Ninjutsu I know, along with some Genjutsu. I will see if I can recruit a medic, or Kurenai-sensei, to teach you more." Kakashi said, still smiling. A small smile crawled up on Sakura's face. _I will finally be of some use...this is exactly what I needed._

"Sasuke, I'm going to be training you in the more subtle arts of the Sharingan, along with some of the basics. I will also be teaching you an offensive jutsu, the Chidori." He finished. Sasuke nodded a small smirk on his face. _Good. I will get stronger, and be worthy of the Uchiha clan, and Naruto's sacrifice._

"Well then...if there are no questions, let's get to work!"

/-/-/-/

"L-lord Orochimaru!" A man wearing a Sound headband stammered. A sickly pale man turned and glared at him.

"It seems S-Sasuke Uchiha is no longer participating in the exams!" He squeaked. The pale man hissed loudly, before decapitating the scared ninja effortlessly.

"Damn it!" The man known as Orochimaru screamed.

/-/-/-/

Team 7, or Team Kakashi as it was now known, was on their way to the training grounds to meet with the remainder of Team 8. Their female member, Hinata Hyuuga, had been temporarily taken off the rosters, due to her having a mental breakdown. The cause was, of course, the death of her obsession.

Sakura and Sasuke had improved tremendously in the week that had passed. Sakura had instantly taken to medical-Ninjutsu, and could already safely heal small cuts and bruises. Sasuke, too, had improved. He could now control the amount of chakra his Sharingan uses better, thus leaving him with more chakra to perform his fire Jutsu.

The trio saw Shino, Kiba and Kurenai, chatting away. Kakashi walked up and shook hands with the female Jounin, and the two smiled. The four Genin went into conversation.

"So...how's Hinata?" Sakura asked carefully.

Kiba's face fell. "She won't leave her house...I saw her the other day. She was a mess. She was obsessed with him. I mean _obsessed_. She had a shrine of him, y'know?" The dog-lover said. Sakura flinched, as that statement reminded her of her own shrine that she had crafted in honor of her _Sasuke-kun_.

"They're thinking of taking her off the ranks permanently." Shino said in a monotone voice. They all sighed.

"I wonder what _he _would think of that..." Sasuke said quietly, before chuckling a bit.

Naruto's death had affected them all deeply, but they knew that he would have tried to making the situation better by acting like an idiot, and lightening the mood.

/-/-/-/

Two figures arrived at a cavern, deep inside of a mountain. They walked to a group of people, all anticipating their return.

"Nagato, we have Naruto's body." Itachi said emotionlessly. The red-haired man nodded. Around them stood 8 people, all wearing identical cloaks; black with red clouds.

"Do it." A man with an orange, swirling mask said. Nagato's rippled eyes flared, and he ran through a couple of hand signs.

A figure burst forth from a pillar of flames, revealing the 'King of Hell'. Nagato picked up Naruto's body, and placed it in front of the summoning. He ran through another set of hand signs.

"**Gedō: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu!**" He yelled, grunting as the chakra left him. Nagato was nearly drained, and doubled over. A spikey, orange haired man caught him, grinning widely.

A beam of green light shot forth from the King of Hell, and hit the dead Genin's pale body, engulfing him in a bright aura. A few moments later,

The blonde Jinchurriki started to breathe again.


	2. Chapter II: The Ashes

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto

**Chapter II: The Ashes**

_Darkness; It was so dark and cold. He couldn't feel. He couldn't see. He couldn't smell, taste or hear. He was locked within this darkness._

_What's this? Was there a light? It was impossible… He couldn't possibly be seeing. Impossible; it has to be…_

_But the light grew in brightness. He then heard. What is that? Birds? Wind in the forest? Strange._

_He then breathed. He smelled. It smelled like wood. And...Bacon? And a woman's perfume. Combined, a homely smell._

_He then could taste. His mouth tasted bitter, with a slight hint of copper. Blood. Is this death, he wondered?_

His eyes shot open wide, and breathed in deeply. His whole body ached, as if he had never used it before. His limbs were stiff. His lungs burned with the fresh air scraping them. A cool breeze brushed across his face, tickling his whiskered cheeks a bit. He winced when the bright light from the sun assaulted his vision. He squinted, and quickly took in his surroundings. He was in...A bedroom? Yes. He looked down and saw he was in a bed.

_Wait._

He was supposed to be dead. Is this heaven? No. He didn't see any dead relatives, nor was he on a layer of clouds. He glanced around the room, and noticed there were multiple pictures on the walls. He looked out the window that flanked his bed, and it appeared as though he was in the middle of a forest.

Suddenly, a record player scratched. He flinches a little, as the needle hit the record.

A cheery, male voice was making noise. He raised an eyebrow, and straining his body, he stood up from the bed.

His neck and throat were hurting with every breath he took, but he ignored it. The male voice started to sing; it sounded like some cheesy love song.

_The hell kind of music is this?_ He thought. He then walked to the room that was the source of the music, and saw an interesting sight.

As the music played, he saw that a man and a woman were dancing in the middle of the room, both of their faces lit up with happiness. The man had short, spiky black hair, not unlike his. The right side of his face looked strange. It was as if it was melted at one point, or was crushed.

The woman had long brown hair that had a style that resembled a girl that he knew, though couldn't quite put a name to. An image of long, flowing pink hair and bright green eyes assaulted his mind, but he shook his head from his thoughts. She had happy, peaceful brown eyes, and her cheeks had two purple, rectangular tattoos on them.

He walked over as the couple kept dancing and giggling, but he stumbled into a coffee table and fell with a loud crash. The black haired man promptly stopped the music, and the two ran over to him, helping him up. He groaned as his limbs ached, and the couple brought him back to the bedroom. They set him down on the bed again.

He tried to speak, but his throat felt like sand paper. He then realized he was very, _very _thirsty. The tattooed woman held a water bottle to his mouth, which he gratefully accepted, and chugged down the liquid at record speed.

He coughed a little as the water went down. He then spoke, his voice cracking and raspy.

"W-where am I? Who are you?" He asked. He then thought. "W-wait...who am I?"

The two flinched, but smiled. "You're safe. You're in our home. We are friends. And you...are Naruto Uzumaki." The female said.

_Naruto Uzumaki...Naruto Uzumaki..._ It then clicked in his head. _Naruto Uzumaki...Genin...Team 7...Land of Waves...bridge...Zabuza and Haku...Sasuke and Sakura-Chan and Kakashi-sensei...Kawarmi...senbon..._

Naruto gasped as his mind went into over drive, and panicked a little. "Wha...I'm dead! You guys...must be Shinigami! I'm dead!" Naruto said with anime tears falling from his face. He repeatedly asked them for forgiveness, before the dark-haired man smacked him on the back of the head.

"No, Naruto, you're not dead. You're alive. We brought you back, I'll explain later." He said simply. Naruto, though he wanted answers, feared the man's smacks, and nodded slowly. The girl then brought in a stack of sandwiches, a glass of orange juice and a bowl of ramen. Naruto's stomach growled loudly, and his mouth watered.

He was _extremely _hungry.

Within mere seconds, the ramen was inhaled, the juice was downed and the sandwiches were promptly devoured.

"He eats like you, hun." The girl teased, causing the man to blush slightly.

Finishing his meal, he sighed in delight. He then looked up. "Wait...where are we? I need to get to Konoha! If you brought me back, then they think I'm dead, right?"

The man shook his head grimly. "Naruto, we cannot allow you to leave. At least, not yet. You will understand soon enough. I have some people I'd like you to meet, and a chance I'd like to give you. But for now, you must rest, and regain your energy. Hell, you were dead for over a week."

Naruto frowned. _I have to go back to Konoha. Sakura-Chan, Sasuke, sensei...everyone! I must go back!_

The girl pushed Naruto back into the bed when he tried moving. "Rest now. Seriously; how are you going to be Hokage if you don't get your strength back?" She asked playfully.

Naruto's eyes widened. _How...who are these people?! _He thought. Noticing his expression, the man chuckled.

"We've been watching you for some time, Naruto. Creepy as that may be, we had good reason. As soon as you're healthy and stable, we'll explain everything. Sleep." He said. Naruto closed his eyes, and soon enough, sleep took him.

/-/-/-/

_**He was in a forest clearing at night. The stars shined brightly in the depths of darkness, with the moon lighting up the area.**_

_**"Naruto-kun..." A heavenly, feminine voice cooed. He snapped his head to the direction of the voice. A lithe, voluptuous figure came towards him. Long, pink hair swayed in the wind. Bright green eyes met his cerulean.**_

_**The figure walked up to him, and cupped his cheek, running a thumb along his whisker marks. He purred slightly, causing a slight giggle to sound from her.**_

_**"Naruto-kun...I missed you so much...I love you..." She said, as her face neared his. Her words warmed him to the core, an extreme happiness washing over him.**_

_**Their lips were getting closer...closer...closer...**_

/-/-/-/

Naruto shot up, breathing heavily and clutching his chest. He felt insanely warm. _That...was an intense dream..._

He shook his head. He felt loads better compared to when he first woke up. Though his dream of Sakura got his heart racing, it calmed down after a few minutes. He sat up, his body no longer wracked in pain. He glanced around, and noticed it was almost night-time; the sun was setting.

He heard a few people talking somewhere down the hall way. He got up, and saw he was dressed only in his boxers. He eyed a black cloak with red clouds on it; he took it, and slipped his arms through the sleeves before zipping it up. He noticed that the cloak was _insanely_ soft, comfy and warm. He also noted that it was exactly his size.

He padded down the hall way, the voices getting louder. He entered the same room where he found the energetic couple from before. A fairly large group of people were there. He saw the couple from before, and a red haired man with odd, purple rippled eyes. He also saw a black haired man that looked strikingly similar to Sasuke, and a man beside him that had an uncanny resemblance to a shark. He had a large, wrapped _something _leaning on the couch next to him. They were all wearing the same cloaks as Naruto.

The floor board creaked underneath his foot, and all of their eyes shot to him. He started to feel uneasy under the scrutinizing gazes, but the nice woman from before came up to him with another bowl of ramen. "Ah, you're up Naruto-kun! Here, eat this." She said, handing it to him.

He gratefully accepted it, and promptly ate the noodles in a wild frenzy, yet not wasting a single drop. He downed the broth, sighing in ecstasy._ That ramen is as good as Ichiraku's! _Naruto thought, but the image of Ichiraku's caused a pang of homesickness to run through his body.

The blonde sat down on the couch closest to him, and they kept watching him. The black, spiky haired man from before stood up.

"Alright, Naruto. I suppose you want an explanation for everything?" He said. Naruto nodded.

"First off. Our names. My name is Obito Uchiha. This is my lovely girlfriend, and soon to be wife, Rin." He said, gesturing to the brown-haired girl. She smiled prettily at him, waving. He waved back a little. Naruto cocked his head.

"Uchiha? Like, Sasuke Uchiha? I thought you were all...massacred?" He said. He noticed that Obito and the Sasuke look-alike both tensed.

"We'll get to that in a bit, Naruto." He said promptly. The blonde nodded.

"The red-haired man with the eyes is Nagato. He happens to be from the Uzumaki clan as well; he's your distant cousin." Naruto's head shot up, and looked to the man in shock. Nagato walked over with a slight smile, and extended his hand. Naruto took it, his hand trembling, and shook it.

"It's nice to meet you finally, Naruto." He said in a deep voice. Naruto bowed a little, smiling happily before wiping a tear from his eye. _He's my cousin...I have a living relative...oh my god..._

"Finally, the shark looking man with the huge sword is Kisame Hoshigaki." Obito stated, while the blue haired man raised a hand. "'Sup, kid?" He said with a grin, showing off his jagged teeth. Naruto smiled a little back. _He's...friendly._

"And the man beside him is Itachi Uchiha." Naruto tensed, and by reflex, reached for a kunai. He forgot he had no weapons, and backed into the couch. Itachi raised a hand, signaling him to calm down.

"Relax, Naruto-kun. I mean you no harm. All will be explained shortly." He said in a monotone voice. Naruto stared at him for a moment, noting that he wasn't dead yet. He then relaxed a little. Obito walked over.

"You may be wondering what you're doing here...why we brought you back from the dead, and what we want with you. It's simple; we want you to join our organization." The Uchiha said simply. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Organization?"

"Yes. It's called the Akatsuki. We would greatly benefit from your skills, and you're...err...'roommate'." Obito said, pointing to Naruto's stomach. The blonde paled for a moment. _They know about the Kyuubi? And...They don't care?_

Noticing his behavior, Rin stepped in. "Naruto-kun, no, we _do _care about the Kyuubi within you, but not for the reasons you may think. We hold no grudge against you. The reason the Kyuubi is in you is partly our fault...but, we see it as a gift. Think about it; how powerful would you be if you could harness its power?" She said. Naruto's eyebrows rose. _The most powerful Bijuu...I could become Hokage with that kind of power at my disposal!_

"Wait...what you mean it's partly your fault!?" Naruto yelled, standing up. Obito grimaced, and walked over to him.

"Naruto...I'm the reason the Kyuubi is within you. I set loose the Kyuubi on the village. During that time, I was controlled and manipulated by an evil man. How would you feel if you lost the one you love, right in front of your eyes?" Naruto was about to beat the man's ass, but when he said the last part, he paused. _How would I feel if...Sakura-Chan died...? Do I love her..? Maybe..._

"I...wouldn't know what to do with myself. I would probably go insane." Naruto said darkly. The Uchiha nodded, and Rin walked up, giving Obito a hug.

"That happened to me, and the man took advantage of my emotional status at the time. I truly am sorry for causing you this pain, Naruto. I hope you can forgive me someday..." He said sadly.

Naruto frowned, but he nodded. Obito smiled a little, before giving Nagato a glance._ Thank you, Nagato. Without you bringing Rin back to me...god only knows where I would be right now._

"I can understand where you're coming from. I wish I didn't have this damn thing in me, but...I forgive you." Naruto said, surprising everyone by his genuine response.

"So...what is this 'Akatsuki'," Naruto asked skeptically, changing the subject. Obito sighed, and walked over to the window, leaning out of it.

"Naruto...despite what you may think, this world, and the shinobi system that governs it, is insanely corrupted. Wars are fought for no viable reason, and the nations have never known peace. The cause of this corruption is a multitude of things; greedy politicians looking to increase their finances, evil manipulators working from the dark to influence events, insane leaders that come into power... I don't know how we aren't in a constant state of total war." The Uchiha said sadly. Naruto grimaced; were things really that bad? He never paid attention in class, so world events were fairly unknown to him.

Itachi then spoke. "Naruto-kun, you are extremely lucky. In Konoha, there is an elder whose name is Danzo. Have you heard of him?" He asked. Naruto shook his head.

"Danzo is the leader of a faction of ANBU known as ROOT. He is one of the most corrupted and evil individuals I have ever known. We did some research; and he intended to put you into the ROOT program to use you, and the Kyuubi, as a weapon of war." Itachi said grimly. Naruto paled, and winced a little at the brunt terminology.

"He also manipulated me into massacring my clan, which is an event I'm sure you are aware of. I had a choice between my clan, and the village. I will explain in detail to you later." He said. Naruto prided himself in being a good judge of character, just by looking into people's eyes. In Itachi's, he saw great sadness, guilt and a hint of anger. He somehow knew he wasn't lying.

"This is why we cannot allow you to return to the village; at least, not yet. If you were to return, without an official status of being alive and a Genin, Danzo would surely swoop in at first chance to bring you into his ranks. You would lose all freedom; and would likely by locked up like an animal until he wanted to use you." Obito stated. Naruto paled even more. _What the fuck? I was in danger of becoming a simple tool the whole time? How come the old man never told me?_

"The Akatsuki is a group of A to S-Ranked missing-nin dedicated to peace; we are working from the shadows, eliminating the corruption from this world one man at a time. We also offer our services as mercenaries from time to time; though we only send our lower-ranked members on those missions." Obito said.

Naruto, for some reason, felt inspired by that goal. _Peace...that's what being Hokage is all about, right? To bring peace to the village, and the world?_

"Naruto, my understanding is that you wish to become Hokage?" Nagato said, as if reading the blonde's mind. Naruto nodded.

"That's a very admirable goal; and we will help you attain it in the future. If one of our members gains a position such as that, our influence will expand significantly." The Rinnegan user said. Naruto grinned widely at that; no one had ever offered to _help _him become Hokage. He already liked these guys, and knew by now they weren't trying to manipulate him like that guy Danzo would.

"So...will you join us?" Obito said. Naruto grinned.

"Hell yeah!" He said, causing everyone, including even Itachi, to smile. Nagato smirked at the boy. _Jiraiya-sensei...I believe this is the Child of Prophecy. He will bring peace to the ninja world. There is no doubt in my mind._

"Great. Now...Naruto. What are your skills?" The Uchiha said, sitting down next to the blonde Jinchurriki. Naruto scratched his head.

"Well, I have a lot of chakra. And I'm pretty good with the Kage Bushin. My other talents are subpar, though I do pride myself in being good at stealth and evasion; whenever I would pull pranks in the village, it would take a whole squad of Chunin or a couple ANBU members to get me, but it took them a while." He said, wearing a smug grin. They raised their eyebrows at him.

"Even without proper training? That's impressive. I knew that the academy instructors were rather biased against you Naruto. The fact that you could evade ANBU members proves that you do have strong talents in stealth...I think I know what to do with you." Obito said, smirking. They looked at him, expecting his elaboration.

"How would you feel about being an assassin? It fits your style perfectly, plus with your enormous chakra reserves, you can easily switch to straight combat if need be."

Naruto froze. _An assassin..? I've never thought about being one...but could I take a life? That's what shinobi are made to do...kill._

Naruto sighed. "Yeah, I'll give it a shot." He said, smiling a little. Obito grinned and ruffled his hair.

"Then let's get to work. But first...I want you meet the rest of the group."

/-/-/-/

The six walked out of the house, into the woods. It was autumn now, and Naruto felt a calm peace wash over him in the secluded hide out; he felt as if nothing could harm him here.

They soon got to the side of a mountain, and giant metal doors blocked their passage. Obito pushed the doors open, and they were greeted with a large underground outpost. It was stocked with weapons, supplies and scrolls of every jutsu you could imagine.

They walked down a hallway, and entered a large cavern, where the rest of the members of the group were.

"Heh, looks like the kid's alive!" A man with long, slicked back silver hair exclaimed. His cloak with zipped down a bit, revealing his bare chest and a strange pendant around his neck.

"Everyone...meet Naruto Uzumaki, the Kyuubi Jinchurriki." Obito said. Naruto gave a small wave, and stepped forward.

"Name's Hidan. It's good to see you up and kicking." The man from before said, shaking Naruto's hand. Naruto grinned and nodded to him. He side stepped to see a man with strange eyes, and a mask covering his face.

"My name is Kakuzu...I'm the treasurer of the Akatsuki. I look forward to working with you." He said his voice hoarse. Naruto smiled and nodded to him. He then came upon a young red haired boy who looked about his age.

"My name's Sasori. I, too, look forward to working with you; your growth will be interesting to watch." He said in a voice that didn't match his age. Naruto shook his hand, noting that it felt almost like plastic, or ceramic.

An attractive, blue haired woman smiled gently at him. She had a piercing in her bottom lip. She affectionately kissed his forehead, causing him to blush. "My name is Konan, Naruto-kun. I hope we can be the best of friends." She said sweetly. Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his head.

A man with blonde hair, not unlike his own; stepped forward, his hand outstretched. Naruto gripped his hand, but yelped and drew it back when he felt something slick graze his palm. Everyone laughed, and the blonde haired man was chuckling. Naruto gagged when he saw that his hand had a _mouth _on it, and it was grinning at him.

"Gets them every time. My name's Deidara. I'm glad that you're on our side, Naruto." He said. Naruto nodded. _I like that guy; he's a bit of a prankster._

"And finally, our leader, Yahiko." Obito said, gesturing to an orange, spikey haired man, who looked similar to Naruto. Naruto bowed in respect, before grinning.

"I'm glad you're alive, Naruto-san. It'll be nice having you here. In my opinion, it's getting a bit dull." He said jokingly. Naruto grinned wider.

"It's, uh, nice to meet you all!" Naruto said awkwardly. He was distraught; never in his life has he met so many people who not only were kind to him, but looked genuinely happy to see him.

"Just know, Naruto, that you have a home here. We are all unique in our own ways. A Jinchurriki isn't something we haven't encountered before, either." Yahiko said. Naruto genuinely smiled.

"Thanks...you have no idea what that means to me." He said seriously.

Obito patted his back. "Well, it's time we get to training, yeah?"

/-/-/-/

"Good work, Naruto! Again!" Obito yelled, smiling. Naruto then rushed at him again; employing the new Taijutsu style he was taught. It emphasized hitting the opponents pressure points and weak spots; in a sense, a more physical and wounding version of the Hyuuga's Taijutsu. It specialized in feigning hits, and using the windows of opportunity to get a good strike in to disable the enemy.

It had been a month since he started training to be the Akatsuki's assassin. He was steadily improving every day. Though Obito held back from using is space-time Ninjutsu to avoid hits, Naruto felt pride in his progress. He was way stronger than he used to be, and was more proficient in his Ninjutsu.

Naruto rushed at Obito, and threw a punch. The Uchiha dodged, ducking under the blond and swept his leg out. Naruto hopped up, and chopped with his free hand at Obito's neck. It hit his spine, temporarily paralyzing him. He fell to the ground, grunting yet smiling. Naruto helped him up, and brought him to Rin, who was frowning. She promptly started healing the both of them.

"Naruto...I think it's time I tell you about your parents." Obito said. Naruto looked up in shock.

"M-my parents?"

Obito nodded, and then sighed. "Naruto...you are the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and Kushina Uzumaki." He stated.

Naruto felt the air leave his lungs. The revelation that his idol, the one that he aspired to be, yet despised for putting the fox within him, was his father shook him down to his core. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he refused to shed them. For some reason, it didn't quick shock him as he thought it would.

"I...I always had this feeling that we were connected, y'know? I mean, we look almost identical..." Naruto said, frowning.

Rin gave him a small hug. Naruto smiled. Rin was like the mother he never had, and Obito taught him everything he should know, as a father would.

"Now that you know, I think it's time you learned Minato-sensei's jutsu." Rin said. Naruto raised an eyebrow. "His jutsu?"

Obito chuckled a bit. "Man, you really _didn't _pay attention in class, did you?" He said, clearly amused. Naruto blushed out of embarrassment and shook his head.

"Minato-sensei created two jutsu; one, the Rasengan. Two, the Hiraishin. Now, the Rasengan is like just another jutsu that you can learn, though it requires hefty chakra control to maintain. The Hiraishin, however, is a different story."

The two names clicked into Naruto's head; he had heard of them before. The Rasengan was his father's primary offensive technique. It was a swirling, pure ball of chakra that hammered and drilled into whatever it came into contact with.

The Hiraishin, however, was more of a utility jutsu. It allowed Minato to teleport instantly to wherever a seal for the technique was; either via his famous pronged kunai, or a personally placed seal.

"What do you mean a different story?" Naruto asked.

"He somehow locked the Hiraishin into the Namikaze bloodline; so now, you're the only living person who can use it."

Naruto grinned. "You're in luck; I still happen to have one of his kunai laying around. I want you to copy the seal down over and over again until you can memorize it, and then I'll teach you how to place it using only your palm. Then, you'll learn how to awaken the jutsu within you; it's not something I can teach."

Naruto nodded enthusiastically.

"First, though, the Rasengan. It's a three step process." Obito said, before walking over to a cabinet and pulling out a water balloon. He then forced some chakra into it, and it popped. Naruto raised an eyebrow when Obito handed him one.

"Swirl your chakra in the balloon to make the water spin; try to make it pop using only the water. There's a whole stock of them in there."

Naruto smiled as he started his jutsu training. His thoughts drifted back to home; Konoha. Ichiraku's, the Hokage monument, the old man, Iruka, and his team. _Sakura-chan...I wonder how she's doing. I hope she's at least happy._

_Same with Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei. Don't worry guys. I'll be home soon._


	3. Chapter III: Creed

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto

**Chapter III: Creed**

A year had passed since Naruto's 'death'.

He was now deadly in Taijutsu; his 'pressure-point' style was unmatched in most fights. It was completely his own, and was augmented by his natural brutality and randomness to his attacks.

The blonde was now a master of the Rasengan; he worked tirelessly on perfecting it, and was now adding his Wind element to the jutsu. He had, with some experimentation, learned that the Kage Bushin could be used to train in Ninjutsu, Genjutsu and other skills. He was using this new found training method to create a completed Rasengan.

He also was adept in the Hiraishin no jutsu. He was the second coming of the Yellow Flash; his father's true legacy. Naruto had unlocked the jutsu easily. He was almost as deadly as his father once was, though he did need to improve on the timing, and long range teleportation drained him of chakra severely, due to his poor chakra control. It was a useful tool, but Naruto didn't use it unless he absolutely had to. He needed to perfect it before it became practical.

Naruto still longed for home, though the Akatsuki were now his family. They didn't scorn, yell or hit him; they truly cared about his well-being.

He and Nagato were as close as brothers. Naruto learned all he could about the Uzumaki clan from Nagato, who he himself knew very little. Naruto learned that it was a clan from the Whirlpool country; they were gifted with high chakra reserves, and elongated lifespans. But they were killed off and their country was destroyed during a great war due to the strong prowess they possessed. And their strong ties to Konoha. As a sign of friendship and goodwill, their emblem was now a part of the Konoha shinobi uniforms.

As a result of his bond with Nagato, he became good friends with Konan and Yahiko, who were, in the past, his teammates. He found Yahiko to be very good natured, and easy to get along with. Naruto was inspired by him; when he became Hokage, he would lead Konoha like Yahiko led the Akatsuki. Konan was like a big sister to him; they playfully taunted and hit each other, but were close nonetheless.

Naruto became even closer to Rin and Obito, who he had begun to see more and more like pseudo parents. He was particularly fond of Obito; the two had chatted about their Genin days, and found they had a remarkable amount of traits in common, down to their unrequited loves of their female teammates.

The others, he rarely saw, and when he did see them, it was for short amounts of time. The Akatsuki were busy in the year Naruto had been training; Kakuzu and Hidan had been working tirelessly to gain funds for the group, and now they were well fed and had top notch equipment.

Deidara and Sasori, who had a hate-love relationship, were recruiting members along with Itachi and Kisame. The inner circle of the group was now full, thanks to Naruto's inclusion, and now they were searching for more fighters, specifically Jinchurriki and shinobi with bloodline limits. Naruto heard from Obito that they were negotiating with the Hachibi vessel, and the blonde was looking forward to meeting a fellow demon container.

Naruto had significantly calmed down over the year, becoming more quiet and analytical. Though his brash and exuberant personality was still present, the blonde knew when to be serious.

The 13 year old was currently sitting outside, his back to a tree, his cloak splayed over him like a blanket. Suddenly, Obito and Yahiko appeared in front of him, frowning.

"Naruto...we have some grave news." Naruto frowned, and sat up. He put on his cloak, and walked with them down the trail.

"The Hokage...he's been assassinated."

Naruto froze. He clenched his fists; the old man had been one of the first people to show him true kindness. He helped him with his academy work when the instructors would show bias, and would treat him to ramen whenever he did well on a test.

"Damn it...who did it?"

"We don't know. We have a feeling it might have been an inside job; someone from within Konoha. That leads us to suspect it was Danzo's doing."

Naruto gritted his teeth at Danzo's name. He had researched the old war hawk tirelessly, and had grown a deep hatred for him. He was a truly despicable man.

"Fuck...who's going to replace him?"

"Word is, Tsunade Senju of the Sannin is returning. This is a good thing; from what Jiraiya-sensei told me, she's a good woman, and can be trusted." Yahiko stated.

Naruto nodded. Though he had never met Jiraiya, he seemed like a decent man. He's what inspired Yahiko and his teammates to begin the Akatsuki in the first place; he was a strong believer in peace.

"Naruto...come with me. We'll see you around Yahiko. I'll get Naruto briefed and set up." Obito said. The orange haired leader nodded, and the three parted ways. Obito led Naruto into the base, and into the weapons and briefing room.

"Naruto, we have your first mission." Obito said. Naruto immediately straightened, and diverted all attention onto the Uchiha. Smiling, Obito began to rummage through the weapon stock.

"It's your first assassination mission; I believe you are prepared. Word is; the daimyo of the Land of Waves are beginning to re-instate Gatou's ideals into the country. It's slowly becoming isolated; the bridge, which you were named after in honor of your efforts, is now in his control. The people are starving. There's another candidate for the position, but the present leader needs to be...eliminated." Obito said. Naruto tensed. _So; back to The Land of Waves, eh? I sort of miss that place. It was a nice country. I wonder how Tazuna and Inari are doing._

Naruto had learned the fate of the Wave a couple of months after his joining of the Akatsuki. He felt proud that he had done something to help the people, and that a bridge was named after him.

Naruto was prepared to complete this mission. Naruto no longer had a problem with taking a life; he had dispatched a few bandits when he was on a run in the forest; they had attacked a family who were traveling along the main road. His first kill was a kunai to the throat. He felt remorse for it, but it didn't overwhelm him. Naruto felt that as long as they weren't innocent, and in his eyes 'deserved' death, he would not feel regret for ending another man's life.

Obito then pulled out two wrist straps. They had strange poles on them. He gave them to Naruto, who wrapped them around his wrists. He then looked up at Obito.

"Uh...what are these?"

"Your new weapons. Flick your wrists out." He said. Naruto did so, and for each strap, a long, razor sharp blade extended out. Naruto noticed that the straps had a button that comfortably rested on his palms. He pressed them, and the blades retracted. Naruto grinned.

"Cool!" He exclaimed, constantly extended and retracting the blades. He was fascinated by them; they were literally undetectable, and were seemingly _very _sharp.

"Those are hidden blades; they are easily concealed, and can pierce almost anything. Those will be your main weapons of disposal in assassination missions; they won't fair very well in straight combat, so if things get hairy, retract them and resort to your regular combat skills."

Naruto nodded in understanding, and stopped messing with the blades. "What sort of opposition am I going to be facing?"

"Nothing major; The Wave doesn't have ninja, as you know well. So probably a few thugs, maybe some samurai, and if you're unlucky enough, a merc-nin." The Uchiha said.

"We already set it up; you're going in as a mercenary for hire. You will have some back up; we're sending one of our newest members with you. Only the daimyo candidate knows what you're really doing there; he hired you, after all."

"And I'm going to ask you this...during the mission, and all missions after it, conceal your identity. It's paramount that you being alive don't spread. When you return, I'm going to be teaching you an advanced transformation technique for long-term engagements. And also...the Hachibi vessel has agreed to join our ranks. He has full control over his tailed beast, and has agreed to train you in that department. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Naruto said, playfully saluting. Obito grinned and ruffled his hair. "Your partner is waiting outside; he may be a familiar face."

/-/-/-/

Naruto, equipped with his hidden blades, and stocked up on supplies and weaponry, walked outside, to be greeted with a tall ninja. He had bandages over his face and a large sword on his back. The two stared at each other, slack jawed.

"Z-Zabuza?!" Naruto exclaimed. He was about to attack, but he noticed the Akatsuki robes he was wearing.

"Holy shit...brat, you're alive? How?" Zabuza asked.

"They revived me somehow...lucky me, eh? What a coincidence..." Naruto said, and the two walked. Zabuza eyed Naruto carefully. _He's different...more mature and focused. What did they do to him?_

Naruto then pulled a hood over his head and a mask over his face. Zabuza, too, pulled a hood over his head. The duo then leaped into the trees.

"So kid, what have they been teaching you?"

"Well, I'm their assassin now. I specialize in stealth and infiltration; this is my first mission." Naruto said seriously. His eyes scanned the forest as they advanced to the Land of Waves. They were about a day's run from there; the Akatsuki's headquarters was deep within the forests of the Land of Fire, well off the beaten path.

Naruto realized this would be the first public mission the group was doing; others had been relatively low profile, just to make money for the group. Hidan and Kakuzu did some high profile assassinations, but it was never anyone too important, and they never left a trace. The Akatsuki were unknown to the shinobi world.

8 hours into the run, Naruto and Zabuza made camp. They sat at a small fire that they made in a cave, and Naruto pulled down his mask. Zabuza looked at him, and then spoke.

"Hey kid...how come you haven't returned home?" He asked. Naruto sighed, and took a small bite of a protein bar he had brought.

Swallowing the food, Naruto answered. "Because I can't. Not yet, anyways. Do you know what I am?" Naruto asked. Zabuza raised an eyebrow, signaling Naruto to elaborate.

"I'm the Kyuubi Jinchurriki; I suppose we're alike. Both of us are demons, and we both want to change our respective villages." Zabuza's eyes widened, and he felt a newfound respect for the boy; Jinchuuriki's were notoriously treated badly. Their lives were a living hell.

"There's this man in my village. He's a sick, demented old fart; if I were to return, without my status as being alive, and without being a shinobi of Konoha officially, then he would jump at the chance and force me into his ranks. He has a special ANBU division, and I would be treated as a slave; a mere weapon." Naruto finished.

Zabuza was gaping. _Holy shit...the boy's got it rough. How could he even smile?_

"But that's never going to happen. To be honest, Zabuza, I'm surprised you even joined us."

"I had a change of heart. Haku's death made me realize there's more to killing and money in the world." Naruto nodded solemnly.

/-/-/-/

The next morning, the two packed up and continued on their way.

Soon enough, they arrived at the bridge, which was now guarded by samurai, and was impossible to cross without permission. The way Naruto entered the land a year ago was blocked off permanently.

Zabuza and Naruto approached the gate. Thankfully, Naruto had hit a growth spurt, thanks to a healthy diet and his training, so he was no longer a 'little shrimp'.

A gruff looking man approached them. "State your names and business here." Zabuza had sealed his sword away to avoid suspicion the night before, so they were forced to use aliases.

"My name is Haku, and my partner here is Yamato." Zabuza said. The man nodded. "We're here as mercs for hire; your daimyo should be expecting us." 'Haku' said.

The man went back to the gate, and after a brief conversation with his colleague, confirming their story, he gestured Naruto and Zabuza to come forward. The gate lifted, and the two were escorted to the daimyo's house.

Naruto glanced around the town carefully; it was extremely different from the last time he was here. The buildings were reconstructed and were more modernized, the people looked somewhat happier than they had been; though Naruto attributed their lack of true peace to the corrupt leader they had to deal with. He still saw a large amount of people living on the streets, and from the looks of the markets, the food was overpriced by a large amount.

His thoughts once again went back to Tazuna and Inari. _Are they okay? The last time, the old man had missing-nin after him. He's probably a magnet for trouble, if his crazy attitude was anything to infer from._

A few minutes later, they arrived, and saw a rather plump, greedy looking man awaiting them. He was flanked by two thugs. A mental check of the photo they were given confirms it; this was the daimyo.

"Welcome! I'm glad you two are joining us. We've been getting some trouble from the local populace...ungrateful scum can't realize what's good for them."

Naruto stealthily prepared a pronged, sealed kunai. A subtle nod from Zabuza gave him confirmation.

"It's our pleasure." Zabuza said.

The samurai on the leader's left was about to speak, when a pronged kunai flew from Naruto and embedded itself in his throat. In a golden flash, Naruto appeared in front of the frightened daimyo, his hidden blade unsheathed.

With an unseen speed, the blade impaled the bottom of the large man's jaw, piercing through the roof of his mouth and stabbed into his brain. The man twitched a few times, before falling to the ground, dead. Zabuza had dispatched all the guards with relative ease. Blood dripped from the blade as it retracted.

The populace gathered around the two Nin, and within minutes, erupted into cheers. It seemed as though they were waiting for something like this to happen, and were overjoyed that it did. An old man with a young boy on his back approached them, grinning widely. Naruto recognized them. _Tazuna...Inari!_

"Thank you, thank you!" Tazuna exclaimed. The two nodded. "I presume you are the candidate?"

The old man nodded, and Inari grinned. Naruto smiled underneath his mask, though his eyes only showed cold impassiveness.

"Take your position; make sure this country knows peace, Tazuna-san. And if anyone asks how this came to be...saying only a new dawn is approaching the world." Naruto said, before the two disappeared in a flash of leaves.

Tazuna smiled softly. _Thank you...Akatsuki._

The Land of Waves was free once more.

/-/-/-/

The two returned to the base. They opened the doors, and cheers erupted from their comrades. Naruto pulled off his hood and mask, grinning. Zabuza, too, was smiling. Obito laughed and smacked Naruto on the back. "I knew you could do it, kid." He said. Naruto laughed a little.

After the initial celebrations, Yahiko, Obito and a dark skinned man wearing a bandana and sunglasses approached Naruto.

"Naruto, we'd like you to meet Killer Bee, the Hachibi Jinchurriki." Yahiko said, gesturing to the man beside him.

"Ey, Yo; it's good to meet you! I'm Killer Bee, the one and only vessel of the Hachibi!" The man said. Naruto paled when he rapped.

_Good lord...he's...eccentric._

"It's nice to meet you as well, Bee-san." Naruto said, smiling. Obito smiled.

"Naruto, you're going to be leaving with Killer Bee on a training trip. He's going to help you tame the nine-tails, and use its chakra."

Naruto nodded. "When?"

"Now. Pack your stuff. It could take anywhere from a week to a year, so prepare for that. We'll see you when you get back. By then...our plans should be ready to be put into action." Yahiko said, hinting at something _huge _for Akatsuki.

"Alright then."

Yahiko then handed Naruto a large scroll. "That's the key to the seal on your stomach; I had Nagato make it. Good luck." Naruto took the key, and nodded, before leaving to his quarters.

/-/-/-/

After saying his goodbyes and packing, the two Jinchurriki traveled to a harbor. There, they took a small boat to an island that was strangely also a turtle.

Naruto had met Motoi, who was a man, according to Killer Bee, that could be trusted with even the most important secrets. This allowed Naruto to freely roam the island and sight-see without the mask/hood combo.

Before he left, Obito had given him a lengthy scroll, detailing the most complex transformation jutsu he had ever seen. Naruto had a few shadow clones copy the scroll, and work on the technique while he followed Bee to a waterfall.

"Alright, kid. Sit there, and focus on nothing but your environment. Clear your thoughts. It will be then that you confront your true self." Motoi said.

Naruto did as he was told, and sat in front of the waterfall, closing his eyes. Soon, he felt a strange fog appear around the area, and couldn't sense the presence of anyone nearby. He knew he was in his mind now. He opened his eyes to see a carbon copy of himself exit the waterfall, his eyes black, and his irises red.

His dark-self laughed. "Look at you. You're despicable. You think they care about you in the Akatsuki, let alone Konoha? They're probably glad that we're 'dead'."

Naruto's glare hardened. "Shut your mouth. The villagers were blinded by their hatred of the fox; the old man didn't tell them what I truly was. Fear spreads paranoia, which in turn spreads hate." Naruto spat. The darker version of him laughed.

"Oh please. They just hated us for being _us_. Sasuke-teme and Sakura-Chan wanted nothing to do with you, Naruto. Speaking of which...I bet their probably fucking now, wouldn't you agre-"

"SHUT UP!" Naruto yelled, preparing a Rasengan. His darker-self grinned and did the same. Naruto charged, and the two met, Rasengan vs. Rasengan. They exploded on contact, and the two Naruto's jumped backwards.

"Peace is unobtainable. You're a fool for thinking otherwise. Everyone will always be blinded by hate and rage; look what I just did with you. Love breeds hate. Hate breeds conflict. One word about your precious 'Sakura-Chan' and you were set off." Dark Naruto explained. The real Naruto sighed.

"I'm the true Naruto; your inner feelings and thoughts. Who you _really _are."

"You're right. But how do you think I still liked Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked. His darker-self froze.

"Because I knew, deep down, she was kind, considerate and trustworthy. She only did those things because I was an idiot. Same with the villagers; I'm the vessel of the Kyuubi. Civilians wouldn't know the difference between the Bijuu and the Jinchurriki."

"Shut the fuck up! You don't know anything! The scorned us! Sakura-teme ignored us for the Uchiha! You can't forgive them for that!" He yelled, gesturing wildly with his hands.

Naruto smiled as his darker-self charged him, and he caught him in an embrace. "But I already have forgiven them. And so have you." He said. His darker self's eyes widened, and turned to blue, with tears in his eyes.

"I wonder though… Do we forgive them because of her," Dark Naruto whispered.

Naruto then snapped his eyes open, now out of his mind. He turned to Bee and Motoi, grinning.

Their eyes widened. "Did you already do it?" Motoi said. Naruto nodded.

"Nice kid, even Bee didn't do it on his first try." He said. The Hachibi vessel grinned, holding out his fist.

"Hit me up, boss." He said. Naruto smirked and bumped fists with him.

The trio then walked under the waterfall, emerging in a massive cavern underneath the mountain. There were carvings of headless statues along a walkway, which led to a large wall with a huge number of designs on it.

They walked up to a lion's head. "Stick your head in there, and pull the lever. If you truly got rid of all the hatred within you, then you will live. If not...you will end up like them." Moitoi said, gesturing to the statues. Naruto gulped, and nodded.

He stuck his head into the mouth of the lion, and squinted. He saw a small lever at the back, and pulled it. He froze, noting that he wasn't dead, and pulled his head out. He grinned at them, and the trio walked into a strange room that was pure white; it seemed as though they were floating on nothing.

"Alright. Sit down, and close your eyes. My Bijuu will be helpin' ya out when you tame the Kyuubi. Ya ready?" Bee asked. Naruto nodded, and closed his eyes, going into his mindscape.

He appeared in front of the Kyuubi's cage for the first time in his life. A pair of blood red, slitted eyes opened, glaring at Naruto. Naruto glared right back as the Kyuubi lit up, and came into view.

_**"Hello, Naruto Uzumaki."**_ The Kyuubi said, grinning. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Why the hell are you so happy? Aren't you supposed to be the embodiment of hatred?" Naruto asked, frowning as he walked over to the seal.

_**"Because. I've been watching you for some time, going on your little peace campaign ever since you and I were brought back to this world. Ever since you took the hits for the Uchiha, I've felt...inspired by**__**you."**_ He said.

Naruto chuckled. "Well, even if that's a lie, or a joke, I'm still taking it as a compliment. Thanks, Kyuubi. And by the way...one of my goals, besides world peace and becoming Hokage, is to get rid of _your _hatred, Kyuubi. Whenever I see Bee and the Hachibi, I can't help but feel jealous. It's like they're friends. I want that." Naruto said.

Kurama was floored. He didn't expect his vessel to show genuine concern for him, nor did he ever think his vessel would want to be _friends _with him. Friendship was a completely foreign concept to him. Kurama sensed for any negative emotions in the boy in front of him, and froze when he found none whatsoever.

_**"Where is your true self, boy? The one that harbors your hatred and distaste for those maggots in the village that scorned us, belittled us, and hurt**_** us?"**

"I am my true self. I know, Kyuubi. You were forced to attack Konoha. In truth, you're as innocent as I am. That's why I want to be friends with you; in a way, we're the same. Sort of." Naruto said, before unzipping his cloak and lifting up his mesh undershirt with his teeth. The seal appeared on his well-defined abs, and the key appeared on his right arm.

Kurama looked at the boy with concern. He was going to attempt to wrestle for his chakra.

Whether it is out of concern for his, and by extent, his vessel's safety, or he truly was inspired by Naruto's compassion and words, Kurama held up a paw.

_**"Naruto. Do not attempt to wrestle my chakra from me. You wish to end my hatred, and be friends? Very well. Earn my trust. I will give you an extent of my chakra willingly. If you please me with the actions you do with it, you can remove the seal, and we will begin a partnership. You're the first human that has shown genuine positive emotion towards me, besides the old man..."**_Kurama said, remembering the Sage of the Six Paths.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. _He's going to give it to me...for free? And I just have to earn his trust...very well, Kyuubi. I trust you enough. I will try to do the same._

Naruto grinned and exited out of his mind. He felt a new power within him; he could now draw upon the Kyuubi's chakra.

Bee gawked at him. "That was..._wow_." He exclaimed. The Hachibi, who witnessed the whole confrontation between Naruto and his inner-demon, relayed all of the events to Killer Bee. Needless to say, he was astonished.

Naruto called upon Kurama's chakra, and his body burst into pure, golden flames. Naruto felt _amazing_. He could sense Bee's and Motoi's emotions, and he felt stronger, faster and all around _better_.

Kurama's voice echoed from within his mind. _**"Naruto, be wary of this form. It casts a large chakra signature, and it wills only last about 10 minutes with the amount of chakra I'm supplying you."**_

Naruto mentally nodded to his future friend, and thought to the Kyuubi.

_What kind of powers do you have, Kyuubi?_ The beast chuckled from within his mind. _**"The one you can do in that mode is my most powerful; the tailed beast ball. To create it is much like creating a Rasengan, though you must balance the correct chakra ratio of 8:2, positive to negative."**_

Naruto nodded to him.

"Bee, Kyuubi says I can create a tailed beast ball or something like that. I'm going to attempt it."

The Hachibi vessel nodded. "Yo, to assist in making it, imagine the chakra forming arms; it will help in balancing the ratio."

Naruto did so, and two large claws sprung from his back, and hung in front of him. He grinned, and began to form a Rasengan. Instead of a swirling ball of chakra forming, however, purple, red, and blue sphere started to form together, and eventually, it created an unstable ball which exploded in Naruto's face.

The blonde flew back, landing with a grunt. Bee's jaw was slacking, and Motoi looked shocked.

"You...you actually formed it!" Moitoi exclaimed. Bee nodded in agreement enthusiastically.

Naruto jumped back onto his feet, and for the next month, he continued to practice the tailed beast ball, and his techniques with Kurama's chakra.

/-/-/-/

The three stood at the docks outside of the island. Naruto shook Motoi's hand.

"It was nice meeting and training with you Motoi."

"Likewise, Naruto Uzumaki. I look forward to meeting you again. I bid you and the Akatsuki good luck on your mission for peace." He said, smiling. He then bumped fists with Bee, before pulling him into a brotherly hug.

"Be safe, Bee-san." He said. Bee nodded while grinning.

Naruto had almost mastered the tailed beast ball; it was still severely unstable, but he could hold it for 15 seconds without it exploding. He could also control the power of the explosion.

The transformation jutsu that Obito had given him was completely understood, and Naruto practiced with it. It completely changed the outward appearance of the user, and could only be dispelled by a strong, direct hit to the chest. It also altered the user's chakra signature, which was good for Naruto; his chakra reserves were getting enormously high.

The two Jinchurriki, donned in their Akatsuki cloaks, stepped onto the boat. Naruto had replaced his hood and mask, and they sailed off, back to the Land of Fire, and the Akatsuki's base.

/-/-/-/

They arrived a week later, and walked into the compound. Yahiko and Obito were there to greet them, looking completely serious.

"Well? How did it go?" Obito asked, his onyx eyes shimmering with anticipation. Naruto had eventually gotten over the 'melted' part of his face. Obito had told him the whole story, and it only increased the blonde's amount of respect for him.

"I and the Kyuubi came to an understanding; he's entrusting me with some of his chakra to see what I do with it and what I use it for. I plan to get rid of his hatred completely; I want to work together with him. If I do well with his chakra, I'm going to open the seal so we can work in tandem." Naruto said proudly. The two leaders of Akatsuki stared at him, stunned, but then grinned. Obito ruffled his hair.

"Good work, kid." He said. Yahiko then patted him on the shoulder, while Bee gave him the thumbs up and walked deeper into the base to talk with the other members.

"Naruto...our plans our coming together. We, along with Nagato, are going to be training you to the bone, and sending you on mildly high ranked missions for nine months. At the end of those nine months...Akatsuki is going to go public." Yahiko said, with a proud smile. Naruto couldn't help but return it.

Akatsuki was his true home.


	4. Chapter IV: Reunion

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto

**Chapter IV: Reunion**

The nine months of hell passed quickly for Naruto Uzumaki.

Gone was his childishness completely, replaced by snappy remarks and sarcastic, cynical comments. He was a completed different person than from what he was when he was 12.

He was completely serious; the training the three Akatsuki heads put him under was grueling, demanding and unrelenting. Every day he was living on the edge, a step away from death. But he came away from it changed for the better.

He had assassinated all kinds of criminals that were in power; the daimyo of the Land of Lightning, the leader of a large chain of brothels and human traffickers, the Kage of a small, but terrorizing ninja village that had assaulted countless townships across the countries; his hands were tainted with the blood of evil, corrupted men and women.

And he didn't feel a speck of remorse from it.

Naruto was currently sitting in his favorite spot; under a large oak tree in a field of Sakura flowers. They reminded him of the only girl who ever held his interest romantically, and somehow, he still harbored those feelings. In fact, they had only gotten stronger. As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

He had changed physically, as well. His hair was longer, almost rivaling the Fourth's. His bangs drooped onto his forehead, and his side bangs mimicked his father's in a way, though they were much shorter. He also was much taller than he once was, no longer the 'Chibi' some called him.

He wore a chain, mesh undershirt and black shinobi pants, which were bandaged at the ankle and tucked into his sandals. He had acquired one of the Akatsuki's rings, which signified his status as one of the top dogs of the organization.

He was currently drawing the scene in front of him. He had picked up many hobbies in the little spare time he had; sketching was one of them. Rin always loved the sketches he made; which made him happy his unofficial mother cared so much.

Naruto was interrupted by Yahiko approaching him.

"Naruto, it's time. We're finally ready." He said. The blonde nodded, and got up, his cloak swaying in the wind.

The two journeyed to the briefing room in the HQ, and were greeted by all the inner members of Akatsuki.

Naruto took his place in between Obito and Nagato, and Yahiko began the briefing.

"It's time to put our plans into action. Naruto, what I'm about to ask of you is going to be _incredibly _dangerous, and could quite possibly result in your death, and the loss of reputation and influence of the Akatsuki. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded his face serious. "Naruto, I've been in contact with the Fifth Hokage secretly for some time now. Tsunade-Sama has requested our assistance in dealing with Konoha's top brass; mainly, the elders Koharu, Homura and Danzo."

Naruto gritted his teeth when he heard the war hawk's name, but let Yahiko continue. Obito squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

"You are to infiltrate their ranks, posing as a Genin undertaking the Chunin exams. You will be assigned to a team. Of course, you are to use Obito's transformation jutsu to hide your identity. You will progress with your team through the Chunin exams until the final stage, which will be held in a large arena." He started. Naruto nodded in understanding. Smiling, Yahiko went on.

"It is then that you will fight your opponent. Tsunade-Sama has informed us that the three elders will be present for the event. They will be close to the Hokage's box, which Tsunade has lowered closer to ground level. You will take all three of them out. Be warned; though the other two will go down easy, Danzo has access to 11 sharingan eyes."

Naruto's eyes widened. "He has _what_?" Naruto asked, utterly confused.

Yahiko clenched his fist in disgust, with the rest of the Akatsuki sharing similar looks. "That bastard, after he ordered the slaughter of the Uchiha clan, implanted their eyes into one of his own, and his right arm. It's truly horrifying. If what our research says is true, merely killing the man won't do anything; you will have to engage him in open combat. If you do this, you will most likely have to reveal your true identity."

Naruto allowed himself a small smile; this was what he was waiting for, ever since he joined the Akatsuki.

"It's then that you will announce our organization to the world. Kage's, daimyos, and other important leaders will be there. You will reveal Danzo's history to them, and you will kill him. From then on, we will brief you on what you shall do next. It will be tough, challenging and stressful. But it must be done for the greater good of the world. Tsunade-Sama is almost completely sure the three elders are plotting a coup for the position of Hokage. If Danzo were to be in that spot..." Obito said, shaking his head. Murmurs of agreement swept throughout the members.

"Danzo also has access to the Izanagi; do you know what that is?" Itachi asked. Naruto shook his head.

"The Izanagi is a Genjutsu that warps the reality around the user. In essence, you can control your own state of existence, meaning that if you kill Danzo, he will more than likely use it to live. However, the sharingan that uses it goes blind. With your massive chakra reserves, you should be able to kill Danzo for good." Itachi said. Naruto frowned; killing Danzo once would be hard enough, but 11 times?

"Does Tsunade-Sama know about my true identity?" Naruto asked. Yahiko shook his head.

"No. Nor is she to find out; not until the finals. Also, you will be completely alone; you won't have any back up when you get there, or when you do the hit. If things get hairy, Deidara and Itachi will be on standby, outside of the village, to extract you, if need be. But that's it. Are you prepared for this?"

"Absolutely…."

"Then you leave right away. Good luck Naruto...the fate of the ninja world rests on your shoulders."

/-/-/-/

Naruto looked in the mirror, his transformation jutsu in place. Gone were his blue eyes, blonde hair and whisker marks. He now had forest green eyes, dark brown, matted hair and his cheeks were still tanned, but clear. He looked completely normal; they would never guess who he was. He was wearing a simple, brown, short sleeved t-shirt, dark blue shorts and navy blue ninja sandals. He was to receive a new Konoha headband when he arrived; his old one was still at his 'grave'.

Underneath the jutsu, however, was his combat outfit, completely fitted for war. It consisted of the standard high-collar, long sleeved Akatsuki robes, over the organization's custom flak jacket, which was pitch black with a red cloud on the back of it. He wore his black shinobi pants in the same style as his casual outfit, and under his jacket was a long sleeved, rolled up grey shirt with the Uzumaki symbol on the biceps. He also wore a pair of titanium plated, black fingerless gloves, and his hidden blades on his wrists.

He sighed as he left his quarters for what could be the last time. He had a hearty breakfast, and said his goodbyes to his comrades.

Just outside the massive main doors to the HQ; stand the complete inner circle of the Akatsuki. They were all waiting for him. He grinned, and shook hands with everyone. Obito ruffled his hair again; Konan gave him an affectionate kiss of the forehead. Rin gave him a huge hug, and he bumped fists with Bee, and had a brotherly hug with Nagato.

Yahiko stepped forward. "Good luck, Naruto. We'll be waiting for you. It's time we change the world, don't you agree?" He asked, smiling. Naruto nodded, his brown hair waving in the wind.

He shook hands with Yahiko, and then set off, slinging his pack over his bag. It was a week away from Konoha; he had a long trip.

/-/-/-/

One week later, he approached the gates of Konoha for the first time in almost three years. He drove all thoughts of how his friends, and team, were doing from his mind. He already thought of that in the week of traveling.

As he walked, he entered his mindscape.

The Kyuubi sat there, looking at him expectantly.

Naruto smiled at him. He truly thought of the untrusting demon fox as a friend now.

"Kyuubi, do you think we could be partners now? Things are going to get _very _hairy from now on, and I could really use your help." Naruto asked.

The Kyuubi thought for a moment. _**"Hmm...Very well, Naruto. I trust you. Do not disappoint me. And call me Kurama."**_ He said.

Naruto smiled and nodded. "Alright Kurama. Let's do this." He said, before lifting his shirt up again with his teeth, and pulling the sleeve down on his right arm to reveal the key to the seal.

He ripped off the paper that covered it on the cage, and then gripped the seal on his stomach, twisting it. Soon enough, the gate clicked and opened wide. Naruto and Kurama were now partners, and full-fledged allies.

Naruto popped out of his mind just as he arrived at the gates. He noticed Kotetsu and Izumo were still there, guarding the way in. He walked up to them.

Izumo eyed him. "State your business in Konoha, kid."

"The Hokage is expecting me; I'm a newly transferred Genin from a destroyed village, a good distance from here. My name's Nagato Uzukazi." He said.

They raised their eyebrows, and checked their work orders for the day. Kotetsu nodded. "Alright, kid, just head down the main road, and it'll lead you to the Hokage tower. Good luck; Hokage-Sama's having a rough day." He said, grinning. Naruto shrugged, and walked on.

_God, did I ever miss this place._ Naruto thought, gripping his backpack with his tanned hands. The transformation caused his skin to be tanner then it usually was. His augmented, dark green eyes scanned his home village for any changes. He couldn't find any, besides the new face on the Hokage monument.

_Tsunade Senju, eh? She looks young, but she's really over 50...looks like I'm not the only one using a transformation jutsu._

He breathed in the Konoha air; it smelled of ramen, salt and freshly cut grass. He sighed in delight. It was then he passed the Yamanaka flower shop, and almost froze when he saw a voluptuous blonde inside. _Holy shit...Ino sure has grown. I wonder if she's still after Sasuke._

He continued walking, and walked by the BBQ he used to go to sometimes. Inside, he spotted a Jounin with a beard, smoking, and two boys his age. One was fairly plump, but looked muscular, and the other was lanky, looked lazy, and had his hair in a ponytail. He allowed a soft smirk to grace his face as he walked on.

_Chouji, Asuma-sensei, and Shikamaru. Looks like no one from my graduating class is a Chunin yet. It'll be fun to face them._

He entered the Hokage's office, being greeted by the same receptionist who was kind to him as a boy. She looked up, smiling.

"Yes, can I help you?" She asked. Naruto nodded.

"Uh, the Hokage is expecting me? I'm Nagato."

She buzzed in, and after a firm, female voice confirmed it, she sent Naruto up. He jogged up the stairs, the weapons in his pack clattering against each other. He rounded the corner, and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" A voice muffled from inside. Naruto opened the door, and was greeted with an amazing sight.

His team was there, along with a very well-endowed blonde woman, sitting at her desk, her chin resting on her hands.

"Ah, you are Nagato Uzukazi?" She asked. Naruto nodded, and his team looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Very well. You will be taking the spot of the third member of Team 7, and you will be partaking in the Chunin exams. Are you prepared for that?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Naruto said, grinning. She smiled at his enthusiasm.

"Very well. I'll let you guys get to know each other after. Meet at the training grounds in 15 minutes. Everyone except Nagato, you're dismissed."

They promptly left, not giving 'Nagato' enough time to get a good look at him.

He sighed, and stood in front of the Hokage after she applied silencing seals and jutsu around the room. She then sat in her chair, looking at him.

"I suppose you have been briefed by your members, 'Nagato'?" She said seriously. Naruto nodded.

"I am to participate in the exams with my team until the finals, where during my match; I will 'throw' it, and then assassinate _them_." Naruto said with a hint of disgust. Tsunade nodded.

"Yes. And if everything goes to plan, your organization will be funded and supported by the village of Konoha. It will be under military dictatorship, meaning I have complete control over everything, including which we ally ourselves with." Tsunade said.

"Yup."

"Is this your real appearance?" Tsunade suddenly asked. Naruto chuckled.

"Nope. Looks like we have something in common, eh granny?" He joked. Her eye twitched in anger. He held up his hands in submission.

"Relax, _Baa-chan. _I was only joking." He teased.

"That's it, brat. Get out of here. Go meet your team...I need a drink..." She mumbled under her breath. Naruto laughed and left the office, heading towards the training ground.

/-/-/-/

He arrived to see the three members of his old team there.

"About time you showed up. You're almost as bad as sensei." Sasuke said. Naruto was stunned. _It seems like the teme has livened up a bit. Jesus, he's cracking jokes about Kakashi-sensei and everything._

Kakashi clapped his hands together. "Alrighty. Let's do some introductions. My name is Kakashi Hatake, and I'm your sensei. I like literature, and I dislike lone wolves and traitors. My hobbies...reading. I have no dreams for the future." The copy-nin said. Naruto internally smiled at the familiar format.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. My likes are training, my clan and tomatoes. My dislikes are traitors, arrogance and my...fan club. My hobbies are training, and taking walks. My dream is to restore the Uchiha clan to its former glory, and to be a good shinobi."

Naruto froze. _Wow...he really has changed. He even dropped his revenge on Itachi._

It was then Naruto turned his gaze to his female teammate, and he was stunned. _Holy...she's...gorgeous..._

His mind went blank as he stared at her. "My name is Sakura Haruno. My likes are being a medic-nin, studying and training with Tsunade-shishou. My dislikes are emotionless people, people who disrespect fallen comrades and ignorance. My hobbies are trivia games, and memorizing anything medical. My dream for the future...is to live up to our fallen teammate's name, and become the greatest medic-nin ever." She said.

Naruto was once again floored. _She...she remembers me. And she's adopted my way of thinking...wow..._

"And you, Nagato?" Kakashi asked, his eye crinkling in happiness. The brunette cleared his throat.

"Oh, uh, my name's Nagato Uzukazi. My likes are training, peaceful places, ramen and soft things. My dislikes are traitors, perverts and greediness. My hobbies are practicing jutsu, gardening and eating all sorts of different foods. My dream for the future...to live in peace." Naruto said. They all nodded to him, smiling.

"Well, the Chunin exams begin tomorrow. The first exam is a written test; that's all I can say. So we're not going to train today." Kakashi said.

They nodded and understanding, and walked back to the village. Sasuke and Sakura were talking animatedly with each other, and Naruto noticed how close they were.

He frowned unconsciously. _Are they...together?_

"They're not together, if that's why your face is all scrunched up in confusion like that." Kakashi said, amused.

Naruto raised a brown eyebrow, expecting him to explain.

"We...lost a teammate, a few years ago. And they really only had each other to lean on. So they're best friends. Or whatever you kids call them these days." He said lazily, before he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

It was then Naruto noticed he didn't have a place to stay.

"Come on, loser. You're staying with me at my place." Sasuke said, dragging 'Nagato' along. Sakura giggled at them, following them.

Soon after, Naruto got settled in at Sasuke's place, and fell into a deep slumber.

/-/-/-/

He awoke to a pillow hitting his face.

"Wh-ugh the fuck?" He mumbled, before throwing the pillow off. Sasuke and Sakura was there, the rosette with her hands on her hips.

"Get up. It's time for the exams. _Don't fuck up_." The Uchiha warned. Naruto sighed and got dressed in his t-shirt and shorts. He strapped the kunai pouch to his leg. He stuck the earpiece Itachi gave him into his ear, and keyed it in.

"You guys there?" He whispered.

"_Yeah, we're here Naruto. How's the infiltration?_" A voice replied. It was Deidara.

"It went smoothly. I got back on my old team; the exams are starting today. I'm cutting you guys off; I'll report in a bit. Out." Naruto said quietly, before he keyed the microphone off. He strapped his new headband to his head, and walked out to join his team outside.

They walked to the Academy. Naruto stayed a bit behind, surveying the area and the people of Konoha. He noticed that, for obvious reasons, he wasn't getting glared at or spat on. He, for the first time, felt safe in his own village, though it wasn't really his anymore.

They got to the school, and walked in. They soon got to a large number of people standing outside the door. Naruto sensed a Genjutsu on this floor; this wasn't where they were supposed to be. _It must be a trap set up by some of the Chunin_.

Sasuke and Sakura noticed as well. They briskly walked by the clamoring Genin, and ran up the stairs. They were stopped by a very 'unique' boy, a year their senior.

"Yosh! Sakura-san, I have heard tales of your beauty! Please, be my gi-" The boy made the mistake of getting _too _close to Sakura, and with one swift punch, he ended up all the way at the other end of the hallway, knocked out.

Naruto's jaw was scraping the floor. "_Whoa_..." He remarked. The rosette giggled, and continued to walk to the exam room.

Sasuke smirked. "She's inherited the Hokage's abnormal strength...don't piss her off." He said to Naruto, who gulped.

The trio entered the exam room to be greeted with a whole host of Genin. They met up with the other rookie Genin.

"Who's this?" A young man said. He was sitting on a rather large dog. He had red tattoos on his cheeks, and his hair was similar to Naruto's.

"This is our teammate, Nagato Uzukazi." Sasuke said, gesturing to the green eyed brunette, who was smiling a little. He held out his hand to the dog-boy, who shook it.

_Jesus...Akamaru has gotten bigger._

Sasuke nudged Naruto. "The rest of them are Hinata, Shino, Chouji, Shikamaru, and Ino." He said, gesturing to the other Genin. He waved, noting that everyone had grown substantially.

Before he could study them further, a grey-haired man approached them. The Kyuubi growled from within his mind. _**"Don't trust this man. I can sense some really negative emotions from him."**_

"Hey guys, you should keep it down. You're attracting some unwanted attention." He said. Naruto glared at him. _This guy is really fishy..._

"What's your name?" Naruto asked. "My name is Kabuto. Nice to meet you!" He said with a fake smile.

"Listen. I have some information for you on the Genin participating in this exam; I've gathered a good amount of data over the years. Anyone you're interested in?"

"Nagato Uzukazi." The rookies chorused. Naruto swallowed. _Shit...there's no way he would know anything. The Akatsuki is still not known. And I've been henged this whole time._

Kabuto took out a card and transferred some chakra into it. It then lit up with stats about 'Nagato'.

"Nagato Uzukazi, a recently transferred Genin from a destroyed shinobi village in the Land of Demons. He has no stats on his skills or mission completion. An interesting thing to note is his chakra reserves; they are larger than a Kage's. This means he is more than likely a jin-" He was cut off my Nagato pinning him to the wall, a kunai at his throat. Everyone looked at him, their eyes wide.

"Finish that sentence, and it'll be the last thing you ever do." Naruto snarled. Kabuto's eyes widened and he nodded slowly. _So fast...this kid..._

Naruto released him violently, putting the kunai away. Before anyone could comment on his behavior, a plume of smoke erupted at the front of the room.

"Alright maggots! There will be no fighting in the exam room, unless a proctor authorizes it!" A man wearing a bandana, his face adorned with scars, said. They all swallowed and nodded.

"Welcome to the Chunin exams. I'm Ibiki Morino, your proctor. Today, you'll be doing a written test. There are 10 questions; at the end of the test, the tenth question will be asked. If you're caught cheating..."

Naruto zoned out as he explained the exam rules. The Akatsuki already briefed him on it; it was a test completely based on information gathering, and not getting caught.

He stealthily eyed Sakura. He finally got a really good look at her; she was even more beautiful than she was before he died. Her hair was still long, but was in a ponytail. She wore a pair of black leather gloves, pink elbow pads, and a sleeveless red vest with the Haruno symbol on it. She still wore her black shorts, and she also wore a skirt over them.

_I can't wait until this is all over...maybe I can talk to her again._

He then glanced at Sasuke, who had also changed considerably. His hair was longer; long bangs draped over his forehead protector. He wore a dark grey, high collar shirt with the Uchiha symbol on the back and long black shinobi shorts. His sandals too were black, and he had bandages wrapped around his forearms.

Naruto was snapped out of his musings by a piece of paper being thrust into his chest. It read 91.

"Those numbers are you seating arrangements. Get to your desks, and the test will begin."

Naruto sat at the very front of the room. He ran a hand through his brunette locks, and he felt a pair of eyes on him. He looked to his right to see Hinata Hyuuga giving him a look.

He raised an eyebrow. "What?" He asked. She blushed and turned away.

_What a weird girl..._

The Kyuubi chuckled. _**"I think she has a small crush on you, Naruto. I can sense**__**it." **_He said.

Naruto sighed inwardly. _Again? I knew she liked me before my...demise. Don't tell me she likes me _now_. _He thought to Kurama, who merely laughed and faded away.

Booklets of papers were slammed onto his desk, and he began the test.

He answered all of the questions easily; they were all about the physics of kunai and shuriken, how to strike your opponent, and chakra control parameters. The Hiraishin no jutsu required Naruto to know all of this, so he easily scribbled down all of the answers in the first thirty minutes, and then leaned back with his palms on the back of his head, his fingers interlocked.

He wondered how his team was doing. _No doubt Sakura-Chan is getting all of the answers right away...and Sasuke can use his Sharingan to read other peoples writing. Good._

It was then teams began getting eliminated. A kunai whizzed by Naruto's face, landing on the desk behind. "Numbers 103, 120 and 137, your eliminated!"

Another 20 minutes passed, and after multiple teams getting failed, Ibiki called to them.

"Alright. Pencils down!" He barked, and everyone complied.

"The tenth question has its own set of rules. You have a choice to take the question or not. If you do not take it, you and your team will fail, and you can try again next time. If you do take it, but you don't answer the question correctly, not only will you and your team fail, but you will be unable to take the Chunin exams again." Ibiki said with a sick grin.

Naruto almost face palmed when a significant amount of teams started to leave. Eventually, the room was left with around 20 teams.

"Alright, is that all? Very well...you all...pass!" He said, grinning wildly.

Naruto smirked, crossing his arms. Kiba and a girl from the Sand Village began to yell and protest, but Ibiki raised a hand, and took off his bandana, revealing his insanely scarred head.

Naruto felt a large amount of respect grow for the proctor. "To be a Chunin, you have to be able to make hard decisions, and take risks. That's what the tenth question was all about." He said.

Suddenly, the window crashed open, and a large banner opened in the middle of the room. It read 'Anko Mitarashi; SECOND EXAM PROCTOR'. The blond felt his eye twitch; _I swear this village is full of weirdoes…_

"Alright, kiddies! It's time for the second exam! Follow me, let's go!" A woman with purple hair yelled. She was wearing a _very _revealing fishnet suit, along with a trench coat. Ibiki slammed his palm onto his forehead.

"You're early, _again_." He said. She merely grinned cheekily and scratched the back of her head.

She scans the classroom with a small frown; "Ibiki you're getting soft on me."

"Or, we have a fine selection of Genin this year."

The passing Genin got up, and left with the second proctor.

/-/-/-/

They arrived in front of a large forest, which was surrounded by an electrified chain-link fence.

"Ok, maggots, welcome to the second exam staging area; the Forest of Death!" Anko said with a disturbingly happy grin. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"You and your team will be given a scroll; either a Heaven or Earth one. The goal is to get the other scroll from an opposing team, and bring both to the tower, which is located in the middle of the forest." She said.

"You won't only be facing other teams; however...you will be against nature itself. Man eating snakes, bugs and other animals away..." She said, cackling evilly. Shivers went down everyone's spines.

"Crazy woman..." Naruto muttered under his breath.

Suddenly, Anko flashed a kunai at him. He caught it, his index finger through the ring of the weapon. Everyone's eyes widened, and in a flash of speed, appeared behind Anko.

"I believe you dropped this." He said into her ear. Her eyes were wide. He grinned and handed her the kunai back, and his eyes met a creepy Grass-nin's.

_**"Kit...I'm sensing a lot of KI and evil coming from that one. He is NOT a Genin; most likely high-Jounin or higher. Watch out for him. He may end up ruining your**__**plans."**_Kurama said. Naruto nodded to him, and he turned his gaze to Sakura and Sasuke, who were staring at him, wide-eyed.

He gave them the thumbs up.

Anko handed out the consent forms, and after filling them out, the teams began to get their scrolls. Team 7 acquired a Heaven scroll, which Sasuke kept in a kunai pouch. They traveled to gate 37, and waited for the exam to begin.

A bell rang, and the gate sprung open. Team 7 launched into the trees, and began their trek into the unknown.

/-/-/-/

Naruto was grinning as he engaged a Rain-nin in Taijutsu. His team was behind him, watching his back. Naruto's opponent's teammates were out cold, strewn around the clearing.

"Just give us the scroll, kid. No one needs to get hurt." He said. Naruto chuckled.

"Nah." He said, before he threw a punch at the Nin. He dodged, but that was a mistake; the punch was feigned, and Naruto chopped a hand down, hitting his neck. The Ame-nin soon joined his comrades in the realm of unconsciousness.

Sakura walked over. "Nagato, what Taijutsu style is that? I've never seen it before." She said, as Sasuke pocketed the enemy's Earth scroll.

"It's a style my village produced. It's pretty complicated, but it's insanely effective; it rivals the Hyuuga clan's in terms of disabling the enemy." He said, lying, before the team launched into the trees again.

They traveled for a few hours, before Naruto felt a spike of negative emotions. The Kyuubi warned him that the Grass-nin was approaching.

"Stop!" Naruto yelled. Team 7 landed on a large branch, and suddenly the Grass-nin landed in front of them, 10 meters away.

"Kukuku. Very good reflexes, Nagato-kun." 'She' said, licking her lips. Naruto glared, and sent a wave of KI to rival his.

While Sasuke and Sakura felt their knees loose strength Naruto remains standing. His eyes stare coldly at the Grass-Nin.

The Grass-nin's eyes visibly widened. "Hmmm...You have some talent boy. But I'm not here for you; I'm here for our dear Sasuke-kun." She said, grinning sickly. Sasuke and Sakura were frozen in fear. Naruto merely stared at him.

"Interesting. Well, I guess I don't have time to waste." She said, before doing a few hand seals. Naruto watched in horror as a pair of fangs bared from her mouth, and her neck extended dramatically.

_Fuck. This wasn't supposed to happen._ Naruto noted; right before the snake-lady was about to bite into a frozen Sasuke's neck. Naruto, in an act of desperation, pushed Sasuke out of the way, causing the fangs to sink into his own shoulder.

"Guh!" Naruto grunted in pain as they broke the skin. He then screamed as an overwhelming fire burned his shoulder, and the woman's fangs retracted.

"Hss...Damn you, boy! You've ruined everything! I'll get you yet..." She hissed, before disappearing in a swirl of wind.

Their teammate's scream broke them out their fears as Naruto held his shoulder. The rosette going into medic mode came to him.

Naruto continued to scream. _**"Kit! Get away from your team; I can get rid of the seal he put on you, but you have to draw upon my chakra a little, and drop the transformation."**_

Naruto mentally nodded to him. "Nagato, are you okay?!" Sakura asked, crouched next to him. Sasuke was wide-eyed. Naruto gasped in pain, but nodded.

"Y-yeah...hold on...I'll be back in a bit...I have...a healing jutsu...but it's a village secret..." He said, breathing deeply. His teammates nodded in understanding, though they were a bit skeptical.

He hopped down from the branch, and ran into the forest for five minutes. He then slumped against the tree, scanning for any nearby signatures. It was clear.

He dropped the transformation, revealing the black and blood read cloak of the Akatsuki. He drew a bit of Kurama's chakra, and placed his hand on the Curse Seal that now adorned his shoulder.

A red haze hovered over the seal, Naruto gritting his teeth. He focuses passed the sheering pain. Within ten minutes, it was completely removed. Naruto let go of the chakra, and sat down, absolutely exhausted. He makes a mental note to repay that bastard when he gets a chance.

"Nagato? Are you okay?" A feminine voice sounded from behind the tree. Naruto's cerulean eyes widened, and he quickly ran through the hand seals for the transformation.

He transformed back, and got up, gasping. "Yeah, I'm good. I'm all healed up now." He said weakly, just as Sakura came around the corner. His eyes were drooping.

"Come on. We're almost at the tower; then you can rest up, and I can heal your injuries properly." She said sweetly. He nodded, and jumped into the trees with her. They then met up with Sasuke, and the trio continued to the tower.

They arrived shortly, with two days to spare. Naruto immediately passed out in the rooms they were given, on the most comfortable bed he's ever slept on.

/-/-/-/

Two days later, he awoke. He felt stiff, but overall refreshed and healthy. A knock on the door sounded throughout the room. "Yeah?" He called, scratching his brown hair a bit.

Sakura walked in. "It's time for the next stage of the exams. The finals."

That woke Naruto up. He jumped to his feet as she left, and got dressed quickly. He ran out of the door, and arrived at the arena that the tower housed. He walked over and stood in between Sasuke and Sakura.

Tsunade then stepped up. "Congratulations on passing the second exam, everyone. Unfortunately, the amount of Genin is still too high; we will be hosting the preliminaries for the finals right now. It will consist of one on one match, similar to the third exam. You will fight until you either kill your opponent, or incapacitate them." She said.

Naruto sighed a little in relief. He didn't have the energy to take out the elders. He was glad that the finals would have to wait.

The Genin all traveled up to the balcony. Naruto got a subtle nod from Tsunade, which he returned. He leaned over the railing, sighing.

The transformation was exhausting him. It consistently drained him of his chakra. Yahiko had told him that if there were preliminaries, they would have a month to train; Naruto decided he would find a secluded spot, and spend that time in his normal appearance, and recuperate.

Suddenly, a proctor jumped forward. He had worn his forehead protector like a bandana, and was chewing on a senbon. The weapon brought back some back memories for Naruto, but he shoved those to the back of his mind.

"The combatants whose names appear on the board will come down to the arena immediately. Let's get rolling with the matches." He stated, and the names rolled up on the screen.

Naruto gulped as the match was chosen.

_Nagato Uzukazi_

_Vs._

_Neji Hyuuga_

Naruto sighed, and jumped onto the railing. A tug on his shirt caused his head to snap back. Sakura and Hinata were looking at him, worried.

"Nagato-san, b-be careful...N-Neji-Niisan is very p-powerful." Hinata said, blushing a little. The brunette raised an eyebrow.

"Watch yourself out there, Nagato." Sakura said with a small smile. Naruto nodded to the two of them, and jumped down, meeting gazes with the male Hyuuga.

"Are you ready?" The proctor said. They nodded.

"Begin!"

Veins popped around Neji's eyes, signaling the activation of his doujutsu. He charged Naruto, and sent a jab. Naruto back flipped away, and threw a few kunai at him, which Neji easily dodged. Naruto landed on the wall, and used his chakra to propel himself forward.

He flew at the Byakugan wielder, a fist cocked back. Neji anticipated his attack, but was shocked when the brunette's fist grabbed his wrist, and Naruto sent an elbow at him, colliding under his arm.

Neji grunted in pain as his right arm went completely numb. His eyes were wide.

"What was that?" He asked, his voice laced with venom and anger.

"Secret." Naruto said cheekily, waving his finger back and forth, before charging the Hyuuga. Neji was forced to use one hand to block Naruto's attacks.

Naruto, in his mind, was frightened. He knew of the Hyuuga clan's attacks, and if he got hit by a Gentle Fist, his transformation would drop, without a doubt.

Naruto swept his leg, intending on knocking Neji to the ground. He hopped up, which allowed Naruto to slam a fist into his chest. Neji flew back, landing on his feet shakily. He coughed up blood.

He then charged Naruto, and using a burst of energy, slammed two fingers into Naruto's left arm. Naruto yelped in pain, and struggled to keep the jutsu up.

Naruto looked to see Tsunade giving him a concerned stare. He grinned, before appeared in a flash behind Neji, chopping at his neck. The Hyuuga fell; no one noticed that Naruto had used an experimental version of the Hiraishin. They all assumed he just used extreme speed.

Naruto had been working on developing the Hiraishin to be able to work without the seal. He could use it for very short distances only, and even then, it could sometimes fail. He got very lucky in the attack on Neji, who was now paralyzed from the neck down.

"I...I forfeit..." Neji said, defeated. The arena burst into applause, and Naruto fell to his knees. He was caught by Kakashi.

"Nice work out there, kid. Let's get you healed up by Sakura." The copy-nin said, his eye twinkling.

Naruto chuckled and nodded as Kakashi carried his exhausted body to the pink-haired medic-nin. He set him down against the wall, and Sakura went to work.

"Not the subtle types are you Nagato," Sakura smirks with Naruto grunts his answer.

A cool, icy feeling washed over his arm as she healed it. He sighed in relief as she reworked the muscle tissue, and removed the tension at the joint.

He suddenly giggled like a school-girl. "That feels good." He said. She smirked.

"Well, that's why I'm going to be the best medic-nin ever!" She said with a wide smile. He grinned at her.

_You really have become amazing, Sakura-Chan._

The matches passed quickly. Sakura and Ino faced off, resulting in a steamroll victory on Sakura's part. He chakra control was simply perfect, and in one punch, the Yamanaka was embedded halfway through the wall.

Sasuke had fought against the only remaining Genin from Kabuto's squad, and easily won by almost killing him with his fire jutsu.

Kiba ended up fighting the puppet user from the Sand. It almost ended in a tie, until Akamaru attacked Kankurou with a tackle, knocking him out.

Lee fought the redhead from the Sand, who merely used his sand to entrap him, and slam him into a wall, causing the Green Beast of Konoha to forfeit.

The rest of the matches were fairly boring and steamroll victories. Tenten lost to Temari, Chouji fought against Shino, but lost due to chakra exhaustion, and Hinata fought Shikamaru, resulting in the defeat of the Hyuuga. The Nara was ingenious in the use of his shadow jutsu.

The passed Genin all lined up in front of the Hokage.

"Congratulations. You are all moving on to the finals, which will occur in one month." She said, before everyone was handed a ticket with a number on it.

The match ups were then chosen for the third stage.

_Nagato Uzukazi_

_Vs._

_Sakura Haruno_

_Sasuke Uchiha_

_Vs._

_Gaara_

_Temari_

_Vs._

_Shikamaru Nara_

_Kiba Inuzuka_

_Vs._

_Shino Aburame_

Naruto gulped when he saw he was facing Sakura; he would have to throw the match, but he didn't want to get hit by one of her punches.

Sakura smiled and playfully smacked his shoulder as they left. "You better train hard, Nagato. You don't want to lose _too_ horribly." She teased.

Naruto merely smiled, his tousled brown hair swaying in the wind as they got back to Konoha.

He separated from his team, and walked to one of the abandoned training grounds. He keyed in on his earpiece.

"Anyone listening?" He asked.

"_Yeah, we're still here. How did the exams go, Naruto-kun?_" Itachi's voice asked.

"I passed; made it to the finals. I'm the first match as well."

A silence.

"_How's my brother?_" He asked. Naruto smiled softly.

"He's good."

"_Good. Good luck, Naruto-kun. We're all counting on you._"

Naruto said nothing, and cut off his transmission.

He found a good training spot, which was in the middle of the forest, far away from everything. He checked for signatures, and at the all clear, dropped his transformation. He sighed in relief as the stress of holding the jutsu left him. He ran a hand through his long, messy golden locks, and began to devise a small training program for the next month.

A crunch of leaves alerted him, and his head snapped up. He saw a peculiar sight; a man was approaching him. His face was half black and half white, and he was donned in the Akatsuki cloak.

"Hello, Naruto-san!" The white half chirped. Naruto smiled.

"Zetsu! I haven't seen you in forever! Where the hell have you been? And what are you doing here?" Naruto asked, smiling.

He always enjoyed Zetsu's company; he was always happy, and was constantly cracking jokes with his other half.

"Obito and Yahiko thought you might want some company for the month, so they ordered us to come. Oh, and we've been doing some recon ever since your mission to the Wave." The black half said. Naruto grinned.

"Alright. Zetsu, can you bring like 10 or so clones here? My shadow clones are good for training against, but I'd rather fight against solid bodies that won't explode on contact." Naruto asked. Zetsu nodded.

Naruto grinned. _One month as myself...thank god._

/-/-/-/

A month had passed. Zetsu had left, and went back to the Akatsuki HQ.

Naruto had improved his seal-less Hiraishin, and could now do it properly for up to one meter away. He had also studied Danzo's techniques, and was prepared to end his life.

He sighed as he walked back to Konoha for the first time in a month. He was already transformed back into Nagato. He could hear the cheers and bustling of the village; people had come from all over the world to witness this event.

A small smile appeared on his face. _Akatsuki will now be going public...but I could die in the process. I can handle the elders, and Danzo, but he'll probably call his ROOT agents to join the battle. Though, on the flip side, he's an arrogant old prick. He'd probably not want them to 'get in the way'._

It was time to bring peace to the world, starting with the demise of Danzo Shimura.


	5. Chapter V: The Fallen

**Disclaimer:** I do own Naruto

**Chapter V: The Fallen**

Naruto walked into the arena. The crowd was loud. _Loud_; His ears were ringing at their cheers and whoops. He jogged up the stairs to the contestant area, and when he got there he was greeted by the sight of his teammates.

"Hey Nagato," Sakura said smiling. She was leaning against the railing, her long pony-tail swaying in the wind. Naruto grinned.

"Hey Sakura-san... Sasuke-san..." He said cheerfully. He walked over and rested his arms on the metal railing as they awaited the beginning of the finals. He could see the excitement and tenseness from his teammates.

Naruto's eyes scanned the area. The Hokage's box was a few meters from the ground, and he had a perfect view of the three elders, who were talking amongst themselves. He spotted Danzo, who was busy arguing with the male elder. Naruto gritted his teeth. Even Kurama wanted to rip that bastard apart.

_Soon, Danzo...you will be mine._

"So, Nagato, how was training?" Sakura said.

"It was...good." He said, covering up his distaste.

"Are you ready to get completely wrecked, Sakura-san?" He teased. She glared, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Psh. Don't be so cocky, Nagato...it really reminds me of someone we used to know..." She said sadly. Naruto raised an eyebrow. _She means me..._

Sasuke smirked at his teammates. It was eerie how much Nagato reminded him of their dead teammate. Sakura was having the same thought but something gnawed at her in the back of her mind. _Why is he so similar to Naruto…?_

Suddenly, the crowd erupted into cheers, and Genma walked onto the scene.

His voice was augmented by a jutsu. "Good afternoon, and welcome everyone! Today, we are hosting the Chunin Exam Finals! They will consist of one on one match between the best, brightest and strongest Genin the nations have to offer! Please, stay until the final match is complete! Thank you!" He yelled.

Naruto caught the eye of Tsunade, who smirked a bit at him. He returned it subtly.

"The first match is between Nagato Uzukazi and Sakura Haruno! Would you two please come down?" Genma asked, and the two members of Team 7 complied.

They stood across from each other, grinning. Naruto's heart rate spiked; this was it. All the years of training, of sacrifice, of working towards peace all leaned on his progress today.

"Are you two ready to begin?" Genma asked. They nodded.

"Very well, HAJIMAE!" He yelled, and the two rushed at each other.

Sakura began throwing punches at him, and he dodged every one. He could feel the force behind them, sensing the chakra in every fist that came his way.

"Come on, Nagato. Fight me!" Sakura said, grinning. He shrugged, and allowed a punch to connect with his arm. It seemed she dulled down the force, though he still flew. He felt some muscles tear under the strain, and he landed in a heap a good 3 meters away.

He played possum for a bit. She walked over, and picked him up by the scruff of the neck.

"Are you really done already?" She asked. He grinned before the brunette poofed out of existence, replaced by a log. Her eyes widened when she was suddenly surrounded by hundreds of Nagato's.

_Kage Bushin! _She thought, as her eyes wide.

She suddenly snapped into combat as the clones assaulted her from all directions. She elbowed, kicked and slapped the mass amount of brunettes.

She had succeeded in dispelling the last clone, before launching a punch at the real Nagato. His green eyes widened, and he barely dodged the punch. Sakura put too much power behind it and in an unfortunate series of trying to balance themselves; both collapsed upon one another, their bodies flush.

Both of them blushed fiercely as Naruto's hands had somehow landed on her ass. _Well, good enough distraction as any._

"Y-you pervert!" She yelled, but then she saw Nagato's face; it completely changed from the normal cheerfulness. His blush was gone, and he was completely stoic.

With unrecognizable speed, Naruto pulled out three pronged kunai and threw them in separate directions. A clone gripped her shoulders.

"WH-what in the hell!?" She asked, before a pronged kunai landed in the contestant bay. Suddenly, Sakura and the clone teleported to that kunai.

The other two weapons flew into the Hokage's box, and embedded themselves into Koharu and Homura's chests. Their eyes widened in pain, and Naruto flashed towards them. He extended his hidden blades, and in an instant, they were lodged into the elder's throats, killing them instantly. Blood leaked down the blades as Naruto retracted them.

The scene was almost in slow motion as they say 'Nagato' kill they elders in seconds…

Tsunade watched in mock shock as her mind was reeling. _Well, he certainly doesn't waste any time._

Naruto whipped out another kunai and threw it back into the arena, and then he dove and grabbed a shocked Danzo's arm. The two flashed into the stadium.

/-/-/-/

Kakashi watched the whole thing from the spectator box, and his eye was wide. _That's...that's Minato-sensei's jutsu! The Hiraishin! He said he locked it within his bloodline! There's no way...unless it's...no, impossible. He's dead._

"Kakashi...was that...?" Maito Gai asked warily, his normal cheerfulness gone. The crowd was utterly silent. Kakashi nodded solemnly.

/-/-/-/

Sakura elbowed the clone, destroying it, and was about to jump back into the arena when Nagato flashed back in with the elder. He was covered in blood, and she noticed the two dead elders.

_Nagato...you...you're a traitor...you killed them!_ She thought, clenching her fists. Sasuke squeezed her shoulder as the two glared at their 'teammate'. _It was ruse all along..._

/-/-/-/

Danzo wrenched free of the boys grasp and glared at him. _Who is this boy?!_

"What's the meaning of this?! You have killed two high ranking members of the Konoha council! That's punishable by death!" He yells; his visible eye filled with rage and hate.

Naruto said nothing, and flashed through hand seals, before a stadium wide barrier was set up, preventing any stray jutsu from harming the crowd. The Konoha-nin noticed this, and was quite stunned by his actions. Why would a traitor want to prevent harm from coming to the villagers?

"Danzo, it's about time I got to face you." Naruto said, snarling. Danzo glared, and ripped off the bandages protecting Shishui Uchiha's eye.

"Who are you? This isn't your true appearance." Danzo said after analyzing him carefully.

Sakura and Sasuke's eyes widened. _So...who is that?!_

Naruto sighed. "I guess I might as well do it now. It's time for the big reveal Danzo. I want you to see the face of your killer." Naruto said.

He flashed through hand seals once more, and slammed his palm into his chest. He erupted into a plume of smoke, and everyone held their breaths as the smoke dissipated.

Kakashi's eye widened. _No...No way..._

Sakura's jaw dropped. "Is that...the Fourth?" She asked warily.

Sasuke shook his head. "No...He's dead..."

The smoke vanished, revealing a tall boy. He had long, spiky, golden hair. His icy blue eyes pierced into Danzo's coal and Sharingan ones. He wore a black cloak with red clouds. It had a high collar that was zipped down a bit. He also had a ring on his pinky finger.

His face was angular, and the most striking feature was the six whisker marks that adorned his cheeks. Sakura's eyes widen… It couldn't be… Tears prick at the side of her eyes.

Danzo's jaw dropped. "There's no way...impossible! You were killed! I saw the body!" He yelled, causing everyone to look at him closer.

Sakura's hands began to shake. Sasuke's eyes were bugging out of his head. One word came to their lips.

"Naruto..." They said in union, breathlessly.

_How...how is he here...? _The Uchiha wondered. His heart rate spiked.

"How is it you are alive?" Danzo screamed. Naruto merely smirked.

"Danzo, Danzo, Danzo...were you upset that your pet Jinchurriki was dead? And now that he's back to exact some revenge on you for ruining his FUCKING life, along with countless others?!" Naruto yelled, his eyes flashing red. Danzo gulped as he unsealed his right arm.

In the stands a lone hooded Anbu watches. A malicious smirk crosses his lips behind the mask; _so alive after all Naruto-Kun… This will be interesting. Orochimaru-Sama will be pleased in hearing this…_

"ROOT! Capture him! We must have the Kyuubi at all costs!" Danzo yelled, and twenty ANBU poofed into the arena, charging Naruto.

Sakura couldn't contain herself, as tears fell down her cheeks.

"Naruto! Get out of there!" She screamed. He heard, and gave her a small smirk.

Naruto flashed into his Bijuu mode. Everyone froze as he burst into golden flames, a long cloak appearing on him. Nine chakra appendages erupted from behind him. Naruto's golden eyes stare with a calm rage at the man who ruined the lives of so many.

The ANBU agents charged him, but the 'tails' extended from his body and impaled them, one by one, effortlessly. The chakra burned their skin, and they screamed in pain as Naruto incinerates them, their flesh melting from the bone. Blood and gore filled the arena soon enough.

The civilians in the stadium screamed in fear as they ran out, and the ninja prepared their assault on the intruder, be it Naruto or not. They had a duty to protect the village and its inhabitants.

Danzo's jaw was dropped at the blonde's power. _So...this is the power of the Kyuubi._

The tails receded back into Naruto's body.

"Danzo, you deserve death. YOU caused the death of millions in the Land of Rain. YOU worked in tandem with the other elders, and Madara, to bring about the end of the Uchiha clan. Itachi took the blame for you. You've destroyed so many lives in so many different ways..." Naruto snarled, his blood red crimson eyes causing the elder to sweat.

Sasuke's jaw dropped. _What? No...Itachi killed them all. It was his entire fault! Naruto, what the fuck are you saying? How are you even ALIVE?!_

"It was for the good of the village! They were plotting a coup! It would have ended in a civil war had I not acted!" Danzo yelled back. Naruto roared and formed a Rasengan.

Kakashi's blanched. "He...truly is his father's legacy...how is he alive?" He asked to no one in particular.

Two chakra arms sprouted from his as he lifted the Rasengan into the air, and they began stabilizing it, while adding Naruto's wind element. Soon enough, the Rasen-shuriken was formed. It spun in his hand as he charged Danzo, and using his Hiraishin, appeared behind him, thrusting the jutsu into his back.

The old war-hawk flew into the air, propelled by the jutsu. Right before it exploded; however, Danzo faded out of existence, and appeared next to a befuddled Naruto. He backhanded the Jinchurriki, causing him to fly into the wall.

Naruto glared and coughed up some blood.

His friends all watched the battle, wide-eyed.

Sakura was gripping Sasuke's hand, tears still falling down her face.

"H-how...is he alive? And why is he a-attacking Konoha?" She asked, frowning.

Naruto growled, the chakra cloak flapping behind him. He ran at Danzo, noticing that one of the eyes on his arm was closed.

The elder smirked as he sidestepped and slammed a palm into the Jinchuuriki's shoulder blade, applying his body paralyzing seal to him. He ignored the burning that came to his hand from the chakra, as the black marks began stretching across Naruto's body.

Naruto grunted in pain as he collapsed onto the ground, his body unmoving. Danzo laughed.

"Stupid brat. You stood no chance against me. You're finished." He said as Naruto felt his body go numb.

"Danzo-Sama!" A group of ROOT said, rushing to his side. "Do you need help?"

"No. Don't interfere anymore. I want to make this kid pay for killing my agents. They were good men." He said, kicking Naruto roughly in the side.

_Gotta...get out of here! _He thought desperately as he poured his strength into his body, before he flickered away, up to where his ex-teammates were.

The two gasped when the golden Kyuubi vessel appeared next to him, grunting as he struggled to get up. He pumped more and more of the demon fox's chakra into his body. The paralyzing seal slowly receded as he double over, his eyes clenched. Blood dripped from his mouth, pooling a little on the floor.

Sasuke and Sakura couldn't say a word to him. Here was Naruto, a boy who had been dead for around 3 years, in front of them, stronger than they could have even imagined.

He didn't even pass them a glance as he jumped back down into the arena.

A large group of regular Konoha-nin were about to attack, when an ANBU appeared in front of them; one under direct orders from Tsunade.

"Hokage-Sama wishes for no one to interfere. What the boy says is true. All will be explained shortly." The bear masked ANBU said. He was somewhat happy that Naruto was still alive. The shinobi had watched over the Jinchurriki since he was a boy; he was quite fond of him.

Danzo threw a punch at Naruto, who dodged easily, ducking under him. A chakra arm sprouted from his back and slammed into the elder's chest, causing him to fly into the air, hurtling rapidly.

He flew right past the barrier, into the contestant box. He landed on his feet, rubbing his chest with a grimace. The Genin present all backed up to give him room. A ROOT agent appeared next to Danzo.

"Danzo-Sama! What do we do? We can't get close to him!" He said through his mask. In the corner of his eye he saw more ANBU getting slaughtered by Naruto's chakra tails.

Danzo glared at him, before his eyes fell on the shaking pink-haired girl next to him. A smirk fell on his face. He ran over, gripping the girl by her hair. Sasuke was about to retaliate, but the ROOT agent grabbed him from behind.

"S-Sasuke-kun! Help!" She screamed, trying to get loose. Before Sasuke could reply, Danzo jumped back down to the arena, in front of Naruto.

Naruto watched as Danzo walked over, holding Sakura hostage with a kunai at her throat. She was shaking in fear. His eyes met hers truly for the first time in almost three years.

"Sakura-chan..." He said, frowning. Danzo laughed.

"Come, now, Kyuubi. I watched you ever since you were a boy. Didn't you think I notice your affections for the pink-haired girl?" He sneered. Sakura was struggling; she couldn't get a good hit on Danzo.

Naruto sighed and raised his arm again, forming another Rasen-shuriken. Everyone gasped at what he was about to do.

"A necessary sacrifice for peace. She means nothing to me." He said emotionlessly.

Sakura's breath hitched in her throat, and more tears threatened to spill from her eyes. _He...he doesn't care...about me?_

Sasuke exchanged a look with Kakashi, who appeared next to him. They had a feeling Naruto's words were not true.

Naruto's crimson eyes stared into Sakura's emerald. Tears roll from her eyes as his cerulean stare back. He subtly winked, which caused her to gasp.

With a roar, he threw the jutsu at Danzo and Sakura, shocking everyone watching.

Sakura closed her eyes, awaiting her death. A pop in front of her caused her to open her eyes, to see a plume of smoke instead of the jutsu. A Naruto flew at her, grinning, a purple ball in hand.

He pushed Sakura out of the way with a chakra arm, while he shoved the ball into Danzo's agape mouth. The war-hawk's eyes widened as he unconsciously swallowed it. The clone kicked him back, setting off the jutsu inside of him.

The real Naruto teleported to Sakura grabbed her bridal style, and teleported away. A few seconds later, Danzo imploded, thanks to the tailed-beast ball. A massive explosion rocked the stadium, leaving only smoke and dust behind. An arm flew into the air, landing in front of them. It was Danzo's Sharingan arm. All of the eyes were closed.

The Jinchurriki promptly set a shaken Sakura down, and grabbed the arm, before violently crushing each of the eyes with his thumb. Once he was done, the arm drenched in blood, he dropped it, and glared at Danzo, who was approaching them.

He had a crazed look in his eye. Naruto's eyes widened when seals began appearing on his body. The elder tore off his shirt, cackling madly.

Naruto dropped his Bijuu mode, reverting back to his normal blonde, spiky hair, blue eyes and Akatsuki cloak. He keyed in on his earpiece as he wiped blood from his mouth.

"Itachi! Danzo has these strange seals appearing on his body!" Naruto yelled, protectively standing in front of Sakura, who clenched her fists.

_He's working with Itachi Uchiha? Naruto...I'm sorry, but I must do my duty as a Konoha shinobi._

Naruto sensed some KI from behind him, and just barely dodged the punch that Sakura threw at him.

"_Get away from him! He's going to use the Ura Shishō Fūinjutsu!"_

"If we cannot capture you, Kyuubi, then I will take you down with me!" He wheezed in pain. Danzo knew the meaning of sacrifice. The Kyuubi would not fall into the enemy's hands; not while he still drew breath.

Naruto paled as Danzo violently started shaking. Sakura approached Naruto, glaring. He dove at her, and before she could retaliate, he grabbed her by the waist. He then teleported with her to the contestant bay.

Seconds later Danzo exploded, the seal engulfing the area. It seemed as if he turned into ink. The seals then turned into a large, black sphere. This expanded. The noise it made was unlike anything they had ever heard. It was ungodly; evil.

It consumed everything until it reached its limit, before retreating back into the corpse, leaving only a large crater behind. Ink splattered the area. Danzo Shimura was, at long last, no more.

Naruto was panting as he let go of Sakura. He paid his old friends no mind, and turned on his microphone.

"Mission...accomplished. They're all dead." He spoke into the earpiece.

He leaned against the wall, leveling his breathing. He unzipped his cloak, folding it, revealing his Akatsuki flak jacket. He took out a tube, and popped it open, before taking a soldier pill and swallowing it. He put the pills away, and gripped the arm Sakura had hit. It was still aching.

"_Nice work. Obito wants you to make the deal with the Hokage, so you'll have to stay there for a bit. We're heading back to HQ. Zetsu'll be in contact with you." _Deidara said, before the transmission went dead.

Naruto got control of his breathing, and opened his eyes, revealing all of the Rookies staring at him like he was a ghost.

"I suppose I have some explaining to do, don't I?" Naruto said nonchalantly. The Hokage then appeared in front of him, smiling.

"Nice work, _Nagato_." She said, smirking. Naruto winked.

"Thanks, _Baa-chan_." Naruto teased.

Suddenly, he was pinned to the wall by a very, _very _angry Sakura Haruno.

"Who do you think you are, huh? We spent the last three years, thinking you were dead, while you go off, doing whatever! We missed you, and you come back, thinking everything will just be okay again!" She yelled into his face, her green eyes brimming with tears. He peeled her grasp off of him, before embracing her tightly.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I didn't mean to make you sad. Don't cry." He said, frowning. He hated it when she cried, even after all this time.

"Why couldn't you have come back home!? _Back to me…,_" Sakura saying the last part to herself.

"If I did Danzo would have done anything and everything to make me into one of his puppets. And I could never put you in harm's way," He whispers softly.

"Y-you...you idiot!" She said, punching him lightly, even after all this time, her safety came first to him. He grinned.

Sasuke walked over, glaring at him. He let go of Sakura reluctantly, before returning the Uchiha's glare.

The two smirked, before pulling each other into a brotherly hug.

"Missed you, dobe."

"Same to you, teme. Good to see you got that stick out of your ass." He said jokingly, pushing the Uchiha back. He frowned at the comment, but knew it was all in good spirits.

Kakashi Shunshined over, before gripping a shocked Naruto in a tight embrace. He flailed wildly, trying to get away, but the copy-nin wouldn't let up.

"It's good to see you again, Naruto!" He said cheerfully, his eye crinkling as he finally let go. Naruto tried to catch his breathing.

"So...what's with the get up?" Sasuke asked, eyeing the similar pieces of clothing that Naruto was wearing. The blonde sighed.

"I'll explain everything in the Hokage's office."

/-/-/-/

The rookies, along with the Hokage and Kakashi, all sat in the office. Naruto was leaning against the wall, enjoying the peace.

"Alright, so let's get explaining. First off. I hired Naruto to take out the elders." Tsunade said. Their eyes widened.

"B-but shishou, why?" Sakura asked, never taking her eyes off of the blonde mercenary in front of her.

"The three were plotting a coup, not to mention their countless other crimes. Sasuke...what Naruto said about your brother was true. He chose to save the village, rather than side with his clan and start a war. But the elders manipulated him into slaughtering them; they thought there was no other way." The Hokage said. Sasuke frowned, and covered his face as he digested the information.

The 8 shinobi present understood, however.

"So...what _is _with the get up?" Ino said, eyeing Naruto suspiciously. His cloak was unzipped, draping across the hardwood floor.

"I'm a part of an organization called the Akatsuki. I'm their assassin. I was sent here to remove Danzo by all means, along with restoring full military dictatorship to the Hokage. We're a group dedicated to peace, and peace only." He said seriously. They were all shocked at his calm, calculating and cold behavior.

"W-wait...Naruto, the dobe, is an assassin for a group of nin?" Kiba said, his jaw slacking. Naruto chuckled.

"Yup. I'd be surprised if you hadn't heard of the people I've killed."

They were once again, floored. "Naruto...you've _killed _people, other than the elders?" Kakashi asked his visible eye wide. The old bats were just that; old. It was understandable how he was able to kill them. The Jinchurriki nodded.

"Yeah. All evil men and women. That's what I do. I take out corrupt politicians, leaders and generals. I've killed the old Lightning and Wave daimyo's, a leader of a ring of brothels, the Kage of a far off village that was planning on starting a war..." He said nonchalantly.

"N-Naruto-k-kun...what happened t-to you? Y-you're so different...a-and h-how are you alive?" Hinata asked, blushing.

She still hadn't gotten over her affections for the blonde. Her mind was lit up in hope; perhaps now, they could be together.

He eyed her carefully. _I don't want to break her heart...she's far too kind for that._

"I've grown up, Hinata-san. I've realized, thanks to my family in the Akatsuki, that this world isn't perfect, and peace is far off. And a member of our group revived me using his doujutsu."

Suddenly, the window burst open, revealing a relatively aged man with long, white spiky hair. He had red tattoos on his face, and he had a lecherous grin.

"Ah, Tsunade-Hime, what is it you...Minato?!" He exclaimed, rushing over to the taken aback blonde.

"Erm...no, Jiraiya. That's Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki. Our godson." Tsunade said.

The toad Sannin's eyes widened. "N-Naruto?"

"Jiraiya of the Sannin? It's good to finally meet you." Naruto said, holding out his hand. The Sannin shook it carefully.

"It is. Naruto...we've just met, but do you mind showing me the seal for..._it_?" He said. Naruto raised an eyebrow, but shrugged.

He took off his cloak and vest, and lifted up his long-sleeved shirt. The females in the room blushed when they saw his well-toned abs. Naruto gathered some chakra, and the seal appeared.

Jiraiya's eyes widened. "The-the seal! It's open! Everyone get back!" He yelled, backing off. The rookies did as he asked, and Naruto merely chuckled, waving his hands in a dismissive manner.

"Relax, Jiraiya-Sama. Me and Kurama have come to an understanding. He is my ally, and a trusted friend." Naruto said in complete confidence.

The fox within him was once again taken aback by the blonde's words of kindness.

Everyone's eyebrows rose. "K-Kurama? It has a _name_?" Ino said, her jaw slacking.

Naruto sighed. "_He _has a name, yes." He said, slightly angry. He was quite fond of the fox.

He then turned to the Hokage. "My superiors wanted me to forge an alliance with Konoha."

Her eyes widened. "Uh...that might be difficult...but as soon as we demolish the council, I'll sign the treaties. Can you arrange a meeting with your group?"

Naruto nodded. He ran through a few hand seals, before slamming his hand on the ground. They watched him with interest.

A few seconds later, a plant-like _thing _phased through the floor. It opened up, revealing a half black, half white man.

"Hellooooooo! ~" He yelled. Everyone except Naruto gasped and backed up. Naruto was hunched over, laughing.

"Zetsu, man, every time you make an entrance like that...it cracks me up." He said. His friends smiled at him; _this _was the Naruto they knew.

"Ah, Naruto! What can we do for you?"

"Tell Yahiko and the others that the Hokage would like a meeting with them; everyone from the Inner Circle, probably?" He said. Zetsu nodded.

"We'll let 'em know! Oh, Rin and Konan say hi! They're looking forward to your return!" He said, before vanishing again.

Kakashi's eye was wide. _Rin!? She's alive?!_

Naruto eyed his old sensei. "Kakashi-sensei, we'll discuss after. Rin and Obito are alive; I'll explain later." He said. Kakashi nodded, though he was trembling.

"So, brat, I suppose you want to be reinstated?"

Naruto shook his head, earning a few looks from his old comrades. "No, not yet. Not until we forge the alliance. We _are _an S-Ranked criminal organization, after all; I don't think the village would be please, knowing that the demon brat is back, bringing along his 'rag tag group of felons'." He said; using a term the old Lightning daimyo had said to him, seconds before his jugular was sliced open.

"Well, if we're done, I'm going to go see how Ichiraku's is doing. Sasuke, Sakura-Chan?" He asked, earning a nod from the two, before they left to the ramen shop.

Tsunade had made a message to the villagers immediately after, so Naruto wasn't attacked on the streets. They were frightened of him; the demon brat was back, and he had killed one of the strongest shinobi in Konoha, almost effortlessly.

/-/-/-/

The trio sat down at the bar. Naruto was immediately glopped by Ayame.

"Naruto-kun! I'm so glad you're alive! Me and father have 10 bowls, all ready for you!" She said, before scurrying off to the back, wiping away some tears. Naruto smiled softly, fiddling with his unbroken chopsticks.

His two teammates were staring at him. He glanced at them.

"What?"

"Nothing...it's just...strange. You've been 'dead' for three years, Naruto. It'll just take some getting used to." Sasuke said.

Sakura, meanwhile, was in turmoil with her thoughts. _He...he's so handsome! And mature! But...I don't stand a chance. He has that 'Konan' or whoever..._

"So...Naruto. What's your group like?" Sasuke said. In truth, he wanted to hear more about his elder brother. All of the negative memories were gone; he now realized that Itachi was crying the night of the massacre. He really was forced to do it. All that was left were the happy memories of them training and playing together.

"Well, let's start. Yahiko is our leader, alongside Obito, your cousin, and Nagato, my cousin." He said. Their eyes widened.

"M-my cousin? And _you're _cousin?!" Sasuke exclaimed. Naruto nodded. Sakura patted Naruto's arm gently; she knew how alone he was. He never had any family. He smiled gently at her.

"They're all really serious. Yahiko...he's what I want to be like, when I become Hokage. The way he leads us...it's amazing. Obito...he's like the father I never had, and his wife Rin is like a mother to me. Nagato is like my big brother. He's a hard ass, but when you crack his shell, he's pretty funny."

"Who else is in it?" Sakura asked. Naruto grinned.

"Well, there's Rin, of course, and Konan. Konan is...interesting. She's really quiet, but she's also really nice to me." He said. Sakura barely contained the frown on her face.

"And then there's the funny guys. There's Hidan, who is practically immortal; he swears a lot, and sleeps around, but he's a cool enough guy. His partner, Kakuzu, is creepy, and he's obsessed with money. He's our treasurer. There's also...Itachi, and his partner Kisame. Kisame is hilarious. When I was first...brought back, Itachi was a big help. We trained almost every day...he misses you, Sasuke." Naruto said. Sasuke smiled genuinely.

"Finally, there's Deidara and Sasori. Deidara is like me, a prankster. That bastard tricked me when we first met. Sasori is strange, but he's alright. He has this fetish for puppets...it's weird."

They all stared at him, deadpanning. They were shocked at how much he had changed; no longer was he the loud, annoying, manner-less boy of old. He was now calm, calculating and serious.

Suddenly, a knock came on the side of the entrance. They snapped their head backs to see a blonde haired man, who had a strange similarity to Ino. He was wearing the same cloak as Naruto.

Naruto grinned. "Deidara, you bastard, what are you doing here?" He asked, standing up. His ramen had been inhaled in record time.

"We're all at the training grounds this village has, behind the mountain. Everyone's here, like you asked; you were lucky we were all at HQ, UN." He said, smiling a bit.

Naruto clapped him on the back, before turning to his teammates.

"Guys, this is Deidara. Deidara, this is Sakura-Chan and Sasuke,"

"So _this _is Sakura, eh? Damn, you were right, she is-MPHPM!" He started, before Naruto cut him off violently, slammed his palm on his talking mouth.

Sakura and Sasuke watched with interest. _So Naruto...he's talked about me?_

"Alright, guys; let's go meet the Akatsuki."


End file.
